Powered by WordPress.com VIP. ", More:Tiger King Is One Of Netflix's Most-Viewed Original Shows Ever. He hasn't been able to escape the popularity of the show there. Zoo, killing the zoos alligators in the Steve Irwin Memorial complex, and destroying all of Kirkhams footage. His wife is a professional photographer. 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. Before he became addicted to drugs, Kirkham was a dancer on Dick Clarks American Bandstand. Ironically, Kirkham thinks Joe's new notoriety might actually help the animals he once caged, by raising awareness of the conditions of small roadside zoos. Bush while high, he recounted to Oprah Winfrey, The, Following the release of his documentary, Kirkham. He refers to her as his bonus daughter and seems to share a bond of affection. His other information regarding his parents and siblings is unknown. Kirkham obtained a degree in Broadcast Journalism from the University of Central Oklahoma in 1981. Rick made this series on the life of Joe Exotic. Richard Allen Kirkham (born May 16, 1958) is an American film producer, writer, cinematographer and journalist who is best known for his documentary TV Junkie and appearance in the Netflix documentary Tiger King. Right from the first episode you are . According to his self-made documentary on his life entitled TV Junkie, Kirkham often accompanied the police to make drug busts during this time. SOURCE: IMDb. Though he's stepped out of the spotlight since, viewers met Finlay, Exotic's now ex-husband, in the original Tiger King. "That's the real irony here,is the fact that Joe Exotic, all he ever wanted in his life was to be famous; the most famous man in the world," Kirkham told Sylvester. Join Facebook to connect with Rick Kirkham and others you may know. Rick Kirkham has publicly admitted to being addicted to strong drugs such as cocaine, which allegedly destroyed his teeth. Per Oxygen, Kirkham attempted suicide by taking 100 pills and drinking two beers while driving his Jeep, recording his every move. Rick, on the other hand, was able to overcome his drug addiction issues before releasing a documentary called TV Junkie, which was shot while he was high. The irony of the docu-series, Kirkham said, is that you can't tell how scared Joe Exotic was of his own tigers. Hes gone on to appear in several interviews and is attached to other shows trying to make the most of the popularity Tiger King received. In a mysterious coincidence, Kirkham's own house burned down just six months later, killing his dog. Kirkham then landed a job on Inside Edition after finishing college, where he had the opportunity to interview Chuck Norris, James Brown, and even former President George Bush. So when the zoo fire happened, I had all that guilt on top of me from what I had seen. Charlotte Brosnan-When did Charlotte Brosnan died? Kirkham alsodiscusses the dark consequences of working atGreater Wynnewood Exotic Animal Park, revealing that he needed six months of therapy and one week of in-patient treatment to cope with what he'd seen. Start rollin'.' . Children. Q.V. After backing down, Kirkham went on to work with Joe Exotic on his reality TV show, which featured his personal life and zoo. about the dangers of drug addiction. However, Kirkham's cocaine use eventually caused him to be fired from Inside Edition and subsequent jobs, and divorced from his first wife. Rick Kirkham, the subject of Netflixs riveting documentary Tiger King: Murder, Mayhem, and Madness, is far from the drama and leads a quite honest and normal life, having left everything behind because of his past in the United States. We may earn a commission through links on our site. https://www.instagram.com/p/B-4pbBOnMh3/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link. ", 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. Ironically, it was during this time Kirkham became addicted to crack cocaine. While sprucing up the bizarre series, Kirkham promised the attention-hungry Exotic that he would transform him into a reality television star. However, his career took a turn for the worse after he became involved with drugs. He is a writer and cinematographer, known for The Last Mark (2022), The Frozen Theater and A Reason to Live (2008). At one point during this stint, while he was high, Kirkham interviewed then-president George H. W. Bush about drug abuse. Kirkham can also be seen in Investigation Discoverys Nine at 9, a true-crime series where he spills the beans about Joe Exotic. Kirkham is featured prominently throughout the documentary, recounting the rise and fall of "Joe Exotic TV", a podcast-like production that Kirkham hoped to develop into a TV series, before his footage was mysteriously destroyed. Much of the day-to-day life of eccentric exotic animal breeder and Oklahoma zookeeper Joe Exotics life was already recorded as part of a hopeful reality television show project called Joe Exotic, Tiger King.. As for Kirkham himself, he says he's concentrating on finishing a memoir. 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. Create a free profile to get unlimited access to exclusive videos, breaking news, sweepstakes, and more! Rick Kirkham: Age, Parent, Siblings, Ethnicity. I dropped to my knees and I cried, Kirkham said of the fire in the docuseries. 2. "Joe was terrified to get in cages with tigers," Kirkham says, and describes the Tiger King subject as a "surreal, one-of-a-kind figure a very evil guy at heart." Rick currently works as a freelance reporter and has Bodo Nu listed as one of his employers. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. . Wikicelebs.com is the best site to read about Celebrities, Actors, Actresses, Models, and Other Famous People from All over the World. Rick Kirkham: Age, Parent, Siblings, Ethnicity. Naturally, you might be wondering how much Rick Kirkham is worth. He has not returned. He has not returned Oxygen.coms request for comment. Rick is a foodie and likes to eat non-veg dishes and junk foods. And Kirkham noted that Joe's rival Carole Baskin, big-cat trainer Doc Antle, and of course the imprisoned Joe himself didn't participate in Sunday's episode. His real birth name is Richard Allen Kirkham. After that, he started writing his own theatre plays. Maldonado-Passage is currently serving a 22-year sentence in prison,butcontinues to maintain his innocence as to all charges and allegations of any kind of abuse. Later, he started working for Inside Edition,where he became known for his willingness to participate in wild stunts like setting himself on fire (as seen inTiger King). From the age of 14, Kirkham filmed more than 3,000 hours of a video diary. He also managed to film hours of footage, which was then turned into TV Junkie, the documentary. As of 2020, Kirkham lives in Bodo, Norway. Rick often posts pictures with his wife, and a recent photo shows how he is spending the lockdown. Rick Kirkham is not having an affair with anyone presently. Kirkham appears in the same setting throughoutTiger King, wearing all black and smoking cigarettes on camera. He once posted about how Dustin has a beer named after him. Though looking at his pictures, we can say that he has brown colored hair and hazel-colored eyes. Rick debuted in the film entertainment industry in 1994. Also, get to know about Robby Stahl, Miles Mussenden,Osmariel Villalobos and Rochelle Pangilinan. Later, Kirkham started working forInside Edition,where he became known for his willingness to participate in wild stunts like setting himself on fire (as seen inTiger King). The zoos park manager, John Reinke, claimed surveillance footage from before the fire appears to show a man who resembles Kirkham approaching the scene, and accused Kirkham of removing his footage from the studio before the place went up in a blaze. Accompanying police on drug busts, Kirkham got to carry a gun and wear a bulletproof vest. He likes to travel to different countries with his family. I had everything on videotape, good, bad and ugly, Kirkham told the producers of Tiger King: Murder, Mayhem and Madness. Kirkham claimed he was even in negotiations with an unspecified network to sell the show. after that, he decided to make his career in the field of cinematography. Kirkhams addiction couldnt be eradicated as he struggled to overcome it. He got a degree in Broadcast Journalism at the University of Central Oklahoma in 1981, according to Kirkhams LinkedIn profile. He had worked briefly for KFBB-TV in Montana as a news director in 2013, prior to the Joe Exotic fiasco. Furthermore, he has his own YouTube channel with over 2.17K subscribers. "Tiger King" is currently available to stream on Netflix. He has one sibling and is very close to his brother. 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]. Naturally, this included imagery of Exotic sitting on a throne in the middle of a tiger cage, as shown in the docuseries. Apart from this, Rick Kirkham also works as a journalist for an American television news magazine named Inside Edition. The karma comes around in that I didn't get to make my show. What happened to Tiger King interviewee Rick Kirkham, thetelevision producer whose footage was lost atGreater Wynnewood Exotic Animal Park? Rick Kirkham is on Facebook. Six months after Kirkhams house was set on fire, Joe Exotics studio was set on fire. As a well-known producer, Kirkham linked up with Maldonado-Passage in the hopes of making a reality show about the Tiger King. Kirkham took up residency at Maldonado-Passages G.W. He says he sought therapy to help recover from the Joe years. I attended the American Broadcasting School. Since Tiger King's release, Kirkham has been making the interview rounds to discuss the Netflix docuseries, and told Extra's Billy Bush that his version would've been "more violent" and would've exposed "a . ," released by HBO. His sons dont live with him in Norway, but Rick has equal love for them. ", "Rick Kirkham's Wife and Kids | Rick Kirkham Family / Marriage", "He Went From Interviewing The President To Trying To Produce A Joe Exotic Show: Who Is Rick Kirkham? 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. It is a talk show that premiered on June 2, 2020, In the show, Rick showcased his personal life and zoo. As of 2020, Kirkham lives inBodo, Norway. Kirkham's own house inexplicably .css-16acfp5{-webkit-text-decoration:underline;text-decoration:underline;text-decoration-thickness:0.125rem;text-decoration-color:#d2232e;text-underline-offset:0.25rem;color:inherit;-webkit-transition:all 0.3s ease-in-out;transition:all 0.3s ease-in-out;}.css-16acfp5:hover{color:#000;text-decoration-color:border-link-body-hover;background-color:yellow;-webkit-transition:all 0.3s ease-in-out;transition:all 0.3s ease-in-out;}burned down just six months later, killing his dog. Needless to say, he regained his life. I was secretly developing a death wish and taking more and more risks," Kirkham later told ABC News in 2009. Sign up forOxygen Insiderfor all the best true crime content. Read:CNET's interview with Joel McHale where he discusses Community and Tiger King. He walks up to the horse trailer, pulls his revolver out, shoots the horse in the head dead and laughs. 2023 E! Kirkham worked as a director and producer. "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. Rick Kirkham. Investigators never determined who started the fire, and Maldonado-Passage denied any involvement. Interestingly, Tiger King doesn't acknowledge thatKirkham is a former Inside Edition reporter, and also the subject of a 2016 documentary, TV Junkie, that's based on hislife experiences, including a crack cocaine addiction. He is an ardent follower of Jesus Christ and belongs to the Christian religion. Ricks IMDb page states that hes attached as a camera operator to The Frozen Theater, a documentary currently in its post-production stages. Kirkham appears throughout the Netflix docuseries, primarily to discuss a internet-based show he developedfeaturing Joe Exotic. 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. Check out never-before-seen content, free digital evidence kits, and much more! He hugged her and told her everything would be fine. She divorced Kirkham in 2001 following his drug abuse, and later filed a lawsuit against the producers of TV Junkie.[11][12]. Kirkham's livestream isn't for everyone. His dog perished in the fire as well. 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. Kirkham also vehemently denied those accusations. 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 . The seven-part docuseries captured the many people involved in Maldonado-Passages story, including the iconic reality television producer, Rick Kirkham. Furthermore, Exotic alleged that Baskin offered Kirkham $20,000 to burn down the studio. He had suffered a nervous breakdown, he told the filmmakers. He appeared onThe Oprah Winfrey Show in 2007 to talk about his addiction, and clips of his video diary were shown. He grew up with his siblings in his hometown. His attorney did not respond to PEOPLE's request for comment. Kirkham went days without sleep during this time. [13] Kirkham works as a freelance reporter for BOD NU, and continues his job as a producer, director, and cinematographer, working at RealReels Productions and Consulting. While his career skyrocketed, so did his crack cocaine addiction, according to ", ." Rick Kirkham has a fair height of 5 feet 8 inches. The shocking revelation came during a TV As Kirkham explains in Tiger King, much of what he describes was initially all caught on his own cameras. You may know Rick Kirkham has the wide-brim hat wearing, reality TV producer who appears on Netflixs Tiger King. But he soon began to use crack cocaine. Rick is active on Facebook with around 3K following. How to get help:In the U.S., call theNational Suicide Prevention Lifelineat 1-800-273-8255. The definitive site for Reviews, Trailers, Showtimes, and Tickets Tiger King (subtitled in marketing as Tiger King: Murder, Mayhem, and Madness for its first season, Tiger King 2 for its second season and Tiger King: The Doc Antle Story for its third season) is an American true crime documentary streaming television series about the life of former zookeeper and convicted felon Joe Exotic. 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