2023 E! Mandalorian Addresses the Fate of Cara Dune, Your Privacy Choices: Opt Out of Sale/Targeted Ads. Rick holds an American nationality and is of English ethnicity. In that same interview, Kirkham shared that Maldonado-Passage was a very evil guy to the animals and the people that worked for him. Upon hearing about the fire, Kirkham dropped to his knees and cried, and left the zoo not long afterwards. His father was also a writer and his mother was a housewife. Kirkham worked as a director and producer. At one point during this stint, while he was high, Kirkham interviewed then-president George H. W. Bush about drug abuse. He also managed to film hours of footage, which was then turned into TV Junkie, the documentary. The names of his children are not available. Kirkham briefly discussed that much-awaited new Netflix episode that dropped on Sunday, which is called The Tiger King and I, and which is hosted by actor and comedian Joel McHale. He refers to her as his bonus daughter and seems to share a bond of affection. Trending Topics: Celebrities, TV Shows & More. Following the fire and witnessing Exotic's behaviour towards his animals, Kirkham spent six months in therapy, including a week-long stay in a psychiatric facility.[6]. ", He added, "I bet he is scratching down the walls of his jail cell, knowing that he has now gotten all of the fame he wanted and he can't do a damn thing with it.". The definitive site for Reviews, Trailers, Showtimes, and Tickets Joe . He has also worked as a writer in several cinematographers for the Television documentary TV Freak. Zoo by various media personalities. [9] Kirkham also appeared in the June 2020 documentary Surviving Joe Exotic. "Joe wanted us to run the cameras 24 hours a day, and we did," Kirkham told Sylvester. Bush while high, he recounted to Oprah Winfrey, The, Following the release of his documentary, Kirkham. He was only 14 years old when he began filming his daily life in minute detail for 3000 hours. After backing down, Kirkham went on to work with Joe Exotic on his reality TV show, which featured his personal life and zoo. He speaks primarily about the infamous studio fire, and claims that it happened just two days after Joe changed the locks uponlearning he didn't own any of the footage. There are only 1.8K followers on his Instagram account. Rick Kirkham has publicly admitted to being addicted to strong drugs such as cocaine, which allegedly destroyed his teeth. In the course of my year, he walked up to a tiger he didn't like and just shot it in the head. Rick Kirkham is a reality TV producer who appeared on Netflix's Tiger King, and former Inside edition reporter who made the 2006 documentary, TV Junkie. According to anABC News profile, Kirkham received his first camera when he was 14-years-old. He explained that because ofthese strange things he allegedly witnessed while working with Joe, he can't even be mad that Netflix made a project like the one he initially wanted to make. Netflixs Tiger King helped turn the spotlight on the notoriously eccentric Joe Exotic. On Oprah, Kirkham said he was a functional addict, and that he would smoke crack at night instead of sleeping, remaining high for about six hours, and report for work at Inside Edition two hours later. Eventually, Kirkham achieved sobriety and released the 2006 documentary TV Junkie, a compilation of self-filmed footage during his drug use. Zoo; "She told Joe that she could no longer care for the animal and asked him if he'd take it and give it a good home. Get an all-access pass to never-before-seen content, free digital evidence kits, and much more! He has recently been part of a Dplay documentary called Surviving Joe Exotic. As you know, Dplay is a part of the Discovery Channel group, and Kirkhams involvement has been financially beneficial to the journalist. His career soon turned to doing outrageous stunts as part of Inside Edition like being shot out of a cannon, set on fire, and wrestling a nine-foot alligator. Eventually, he got sober so he could be a good role model for his children. as in 2020. Rick Kirkham, the TV producer who worked at Joe "Exotic" Maldonado-Passage's zoo for a year filming a reality show that never got made, has spoken up . Since appearing on Tiger King, Rick has enjoyed public attention as well. While sprucing up the bizarre series, Kirkham promised the attention-hungry Exotic that he would transform him into a reality television star. Following the release of his documentary, Kirkham spoke at schools about the dangers of drug addiction. Despite the attention hes been receiving, Kirkham apparently wouldnt do it all again. He told Joel McHale, the host of Tiger King and I, that the local paper put his picture on the front page and that even a walk results in Tiger King comments. Zoo, killing the zoos alligators in the Steve Irwin Memorial complex, and destroying all of Kirkhams footage. "I knew that I could make him famous," Kirkham said while remembering a business opportunity that seemed like a good idea at the time. But how could Netflix grab new interviews when most Americans are under a coronavirus lockdown? Moreover, he likes to do camping and hiking in adventurous places. Fame, according to Kirkham, was always the end-goal for Joe. After surviving a near-fatal car accident, Kirkham decided to turn his life around for his two sons. ET. He married Kristin E Rosy Kirkham in 2018, and reportedly works as a reporter for RealReels. Ricks IMDb page states that hes attached as a camera operator to The Frozen Theater, a documentary currently in its post-production stages. Kirkham previously married a woman named Tammie, with whom he has a son. "[7] He gave an example of Exotic being cruel to his animals by telling the story of a woman who brought an old horse in a trailer to the G.W. Though looking at his pictures, we can say that he has brown colored hair and hazel-colored eyes. He is interested in cinemas from childhood. Now, according to Kirkhams Facebook, he lives in Norway, where he works as a freelance reporter, with his new wife. Kirkham wrote so many motivational quotes also. They are Rick Jr. or Ricky and Dustin or Dusty. But where is Kirkham these days? Bush while high, according to Oxygen. "We shot thousands of hours of things, and everything from him killing animals to abusing people, abusing animalshe knew it was all on tape. Kirkham immediately left G.W. Kirkham also vehemently denied those accusations. Now, according to Kirkham's Facebook, he lives in Norway, where he works as a freelance reporter, with his new wife. Having started at an early age, Rick was a valued part ofInside Editionfor a long time. Besides this, there are no desperate rumors or scandals about this ex-reporter. At 16 years old, Kirkham first got a taste of television as a dancer on Dick Clark's American Bandstand. He had worked briefly for KFBB-TV in Montana as a news director in 2013, prior to the Joe Exotic fiasco. "That's my retirement money that just burned, OK?" Rick Kirkham is on Facebook. Furthermore, Exotic alleged that Baskin offered Kirkham $20,000 to burn down the studio. Bush while high, he recounted to Oprah Winfrey, The Dallas Observer reported in 2007. Rick Kirkham currently resides in Norway where he married and started a new life with his new wife. Rick currently works as a freelance reporter and has Bodo Nu listed as one of his employers. Rick Kirkham, seen here in a scene from the Netflix series Tiger King: Murder, Mayhem and Madness, has more to say about Joe Exotic's weird world. His other information regarding his parents and siblings is unknown. The seven-part docuseries captured the many people involved in Maldonado-Passages story, including the iconic reality television producer, Rick Kirkham. ", He continued, "It wasn't losing the project that knocked me down, it was the fact that I had let myself go that farSo karma came back around for both Joe and I. The karma comes around in that I didn't get to make my show. Create your free profile and get access to exclusive content. He proposed to her back in September 2017, and the two got married in 2018. Still, justthe man's bravado alone adds an extra layer of intrigue,certainly when the docuseries reveals thatKirkham's studio burned to the ground less than a week after a confrontation with Joe. Sign up forOxygen Insiderfor all the best true crime content. Kirkham said Netflix interviewed him for the new episode about "my feelings about the documentary" and also "what my life has been like since" the series came out. Kirkham said once his "million-dollar reality show" was destroyed, he had "a nervous breakdown" and left Oklahoma. As for the alleged animal abuse, Kirkham said Joe Exotic would not only kill his older tigers and then "feed them right to the other tigers," but Kirkham said he oncewatchedhim kill a horsea woman had brought him because he claimed he would take care of it and let it use his big pasture. The net worth of Rick Kirkham is estimated to be $3 million to $4 million. We always welcome your valuable feedback to improve Wiki Celebs Site. While his career skyrocketed, so did his crack cocaine addiction, according to "TV Junkie." He was born on May 16th, 1958, in the United States. Rick Kirkham. There have been accusations that Kirkham himself set fire to the studio, to which he responded, That's my retirement money that just burned, OK?" Just laughs. "I was running with the nasty boys, licensed to carry a gun and a bulletproof vest," he said in a 2006 documentary about himself called. Zoo, where he witnessed all of the insanity that happened there. He also did a series of stunts during his tenure including being shot out of a cannon, set on fire, and wrestling a nine-foot alligator. He claimed he still has nightmares about the experience. His days as a crime reporter are where Kirkham earned his place in the spotlight. The first season was released on Netflix on March 20, 2020. As an interviewee, Kirkham did not receive royalties from the show, but allowed Goode and Chaiklin to use footage of Exotic he owned for a few thousand dollars. Naturally, with the public attention he has gained, we can expect more interviews, talk shows, or even podcasts, which are interested . There, he began to record footage for his show project and to shoot publicity stills. The film received mainly positive reviews; Film Threat found it "an unbelievably candid glimpse into the contradictions of cocaine addiction", and praised Kirkham's articulate and authentic self-portrait.[3]. Despite Kirkhams original footage being destroyed, his truth was exposed thanks to his feature in the documentary. I was secretly developing a death wish and taking more and more risks," Kirkham later told ABC News in 2009. Kirkham took up residency at Maldonado-Passage's G.W. According toKirkhams Facebook profile, he is currently living in Bodo, Norway, where he works as a freelance reporter for RealReels. ", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Rick_Kirkham&oldid=1119913532, This page was last edited on 4 November 2022, at 02:44. During his tenure at the zoo, Kirkham witnessed Exotic's erratic behaviour towards his animals, and recalled a time he witnessed him promising a woman he'd care of her horse, only to immediately kill it. This series based on the life of the famous personality named Joe Exotic, who has so many husbands. After that, he started writing his own theatre plays. Rick holds an American nationality and is of English ethnicity. Not to mention, he appeared on Oprah Winfreys show in 2007 and discussed his drug addiction. ( m. 2018) . He marriedKristin E Rosy Kirkham in 2018, and reportedly works as areporter forRealReels. TIGER King's Rick Kirkham has said he hates the hit documentary's star Joe Exotic so much that he wanted him to be devoured by his own big cats. According to some sources, Rick Kirkham married twice and Kristin is his second wife. Katie Dupere is an editor and writer in New York City specializing in identity, internet culture, social good, lifestyle and beauty topics. Rick Kirkham: Drug Addiction, Teeth, and Family. Furthermore, he has his own YouTube channel with over 2.17K subscribers. [10], In the 1990s, Kirkham married Tammie, with whom he has two children. "Tiger King" is currently available to stream on Netflix. Ironically, it was during this time Kirkham became addicted to crack cocaine. Kirkham claimed to have "never experienced anything like Joe Exotic" and denied involvement in the 2015 G.W. Rick is a foodie and likes to eat non-veg dishes and junk foods. .css-13y9o4w{display:block;font-family:GraphikBold,GraphikBold-fallback,Helvetica,Arial,Sans-serif;font-weight:bold;margin-bottom:0;margin-top:0;-webkit-text-decoration:none;text-decoration:none;}@media (any-hover: hover){.css-13y9o4w:hover{color:link-hover;}}@media(max-width: 48rem){.css-13y9o4w{font-size:1.05rem;line-height:1.2;margin-bottom:0.25rem;}}@media(min-width: 40.625rem){.css-13y9o4w{font-size:1.28598rem;line-height:1.2;}}@media(min-width: 48rem){.css-13y9o4w{font-size:1.39461rem;line-height:1.2;margin-bottom:0.5rem;}}@media(min-width: 64rem){.css-13y9o4w{font-size:1.23488rem;line-height:1.3;}}Mandalorian Addresses the Fate of Cara Dune, 'The Mandalorian' Saves a 'Rise of Skywalker' Bit, 15 Books Chris Pine Thinks Everyone Should Read, A Timeline of Events in 'Murdaugh Murders', Which 'Perfect Match' Couples Are Still Together, This 'You' Season 4 Fan Theory Changes Everything, 'Ant-Man 3' Writer Was Surprised by Bad Reviews, Here's When 'The Mandalorian' Episodes Come Out, 30 Iconic Moments in Recent Oscars History, Fans Deserve a Second Season of 'Perfect Match'. Also: Kirkham says he's writing a memoir, and half of it will be about his time with Joe. ", On June 2, 2020, Discovery ID channel released a one-hour show called "The Truth Behind Joe Exotic: The Rick Kirkham Story", where he discussed his life, two marriages and move to Norway. Tiger King features several fascinating subplots, from Joe's marriage to men who are allegedly straight to a faux music career designed to boost his public image. Accompanying police on drug busts, Kirkham got to carry a gun and wear a bulletproof vest. In the docuseries, Kirkham left and went back home which at the time was Dallas, Texas after his fiery conclusion at Exotic's zoo. His wife is a professional photographer. Tiger King released in March 2020, and has since become a worldwide streaming sensation. In addition to getting convicted on two counts of murder-for-hire, Exotic was also found guilty of eight counts of violating the Lacey Act for falsifying wildlife records, and nine counts of violating the Endangered Species Act, according to a statement from The United States Attorneys Office Western District of Oklahoma. He is well-known in the country for his Netflix show named Tiger King. He was far from the only one interviewed -- Jeff Lowe, who bought Joe Exotic's animal park, has said he was interviewed for it, and others from the Joe Exotic universe will share their thoughts as well. Join Facebook to connect with Rick Kirkham and others you may know. Rick Kirkham (born 16 May 1958) is a famous American writer, journalist, producer, and cinematographer from the United States. I mean, he was just that crazy," Kirkham said. At the same time, it also brought other people to the limelight. 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