Long before the phenomenon that is the "Tiger King" appeared in living rooms across the country via Netflix, celebrities from all walks of life were hobnobbing with the show's stars and their furry friends in a multitude of ways.
Britney Spears, for example, has a surprising connection to Doc Antle, and it involves one of her most iconic moments ever. In 2001, the pop star memorably performed "I've a Slave 4 U" at the MTV Video Music Awards with a snake. A tiger also appeared on stage, as did Doc.
"She had to climb into a cage and dance with a big adult tiger," Doc, who often appears in the docu-series, told Rolling Stone in 20015. "We're in there, spinning around, 10,00 people were screaming and dancing and the tiger's just Mr. Cool. We had a big snake come down and dance on her shoulders."
Beyonce, has a connection to Doc, as well. In 2019, the Myrtle Beach Safari, Doc's zoo, posted a photo of Beyonce hanging out with a tiger and a chimp.
"Throwback to when @beyonce visited us! Feeding tiger cubs with the help of, @docantle & Vali the Chimp," the caption read.
YouTube superstar Logan Paul visited that same zoo earlier this year, as pictures show him hugging a tiger and hanging with several animals.
"Save the tiger," he captioned Instagram pictures from the day.
Rapper Da Brat posted several photos and videos from her visit to Doc's zoo in October 2019. Photos showed her hugging monkeys and elephants.
The visit, she said, left her "speechless." She added on Instagram that "ALL of the trainers were EXCELLENT!"
Some stars have caught flak for their connections. Shaquille O'Neal addressed his appearance in the documentary, claiming he is not friends with the show's main character, the flamboyant Joe Exotic, who was arrested and sentenced to 22 years in prison for his role a murder-for-hire plot against an animal rights activist.
"Listen, people are going to make their own opinions, but, again, I was just a visitor. I met this guy β not my friend. Don't know him," Shaq said this week on his podcast "The Big Podcast With Shaq." "Never had any business dealings with him, and I had no idea any of that stuff was going on."
Shaq actually spoke about his visit to Joe's zoo on TNT afterward, saying, "Shoutout to Joe Exotic." He also announced he "got two more tigers."
On March 31, Joe's former "husband" John Finlay revealed a very surprising detail about a 2015 arson fire that housed Joe's film studio. The studio was completely destroyed the studio, and it also killed seven alligators and one crocodile. Those animals previously belonged to Michael Jackson.
"One of the previous managers had gotten us Michael Jackson's alligators from Neverland Ranch," John said.
Like Shaq, multiple athletes have connections with the documentary, too. Former "Dancing With The Stars" alum Floyd Mayweather posted a photo with a cheetah at Doc's zoo in February 2019.
In January 2019, NFL stud Odell Beckham Jr. posted a video of him visiting the zoo and playing catch with a chimpanzee and petting a tiger. The video didn't sit well with the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals.
"These sensitive and much-abused animals belong with their families in nature, not pimped out as props by shameless roadside zoos," the statement said at the time. "We're sure that Odell Beckham Jr. had no idea that the sleazy safari park where this young chimpanzee is kept has a lengthy record of violating federal law and uses great apes and big-cat cubs in cheap publicity stunts like this. These encounters are incredibly dangerous, and PETA urges everyone β including Beckham, who certainly doesn't want another injury β to steer clear of cruel facilities that exploit animals."
Fellow NFLer Ndamukong Suh hung out with Doc's tigers the summer of 2019.
"Today was DOPE!" he said on Instagram.
United States soccer stars and World Cup winners Ali Krieger and Ashlyn Harris visited the zoo in 2018.
WWE wrestlers The Undertaker and Jinder Mahal have connections, as well, and "iCarly" star Reed Alexander and celebrity chef Todd English have hung out at Doc's zoo in the past.
One of the more interesting connections comes from "Pawn Stars" notable Rick Harrison β who owns a plaza in Las Vegas. According to the Las Vegas Review-Journal, Jeff Lowe, a central figure in documentary, approached Rick about setting up a business called Tiger Encounter in "Pawn Plaza" that would include giving people the ability to have their pictures taken with exotic animals.
After one meeting, Rick said no.