Pop Culture

Here’s Your First Look at Kate McKinnon as 'Tiger King's' Carole Baskin

The 'Saturday Night Live' star will play the real-life animal activist in NBCU's 'Joe Exotic'—a miniseries based on the wildly popular 'Tiger King' docuseries.

Kate McKinnon attends the 77th Annual Golden Globe Awards
Image via Getty/George Pimentel/WireImage
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Since joining the cast of Saturday Night LiveKate McKinnon has established herself as a master of impersonations. She’s portrayed a wide range of high-profile figures, including everyone from Ellen DeGeneres and Hillary Clinton to Rudy Guiliani and Justin Bieber. But her latest role could be among her best.

As pointed out by E! News, the 37-year-old actress was recently photographed on the set of Joe Exotic—an NBCU miniseries based on the wildly popular Netflix docuseries Tiger King. Images posted on social media show McKinnon dressed as Carole Baskin, the real-life animal activist who was prominently featured in the Tiger King docuseries.

The photos—which were shot Thursday in Queensland, Australia—captured McKinnon in the middle of filming, as she donned a long blond wig, a floral/animal-print shirt, and a pair of jeans. Other images also showed the actress in a teal cardigan while carrying leopard- and tiger-print bags.

Baskin became one of most polarizing figures to appear in Tiger King, which focused less on her activism and more on her years-long feud with Joe Exotic—real name Joseph Maldonado-Passage. The titular star was quite vocal about his disdain for Baskin after she tried to shut down his wildlife park. Joe even went so far as to accuse Baskin of killing Don Lewis, her husband who mysteriously went missing in 1997.

Joe is currently serving a 22-year prison sentence for a murder-for-hire plot to kill his longtime foe. He has maintained his innocence and continues to fight for his release.

Joe Exotic will air on Peacock, NBC, and USA. The series will also star John Cameron Mitchell as Joe Exotic; and Kyle MacLachlan as Baskin’s current husband, Howard Baskin.

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