Tiger King star Doc Antle on working with Britney Spears: "She was a darling"

Tiger King star Doc Antle has recalled his memories of working with Britney Spears after he provided the big cats for the singer’s memorable performance at the 2001 VMAs.

Antle, a prominent big cat trainer, made a brief cameo during the performance after Britney walked out from a cage in which he was sitting with one of his tigers.

Footage of the appearance then went viral last week after he appeared in Netflix’s Tiger King as a prominent rival of zoo owner Joe Exotic and animal activist Carole Baskin.

Discussing the performance, Antle told ET: “[Britney] was such a darling, totally just a fanatic person wanting a perfect performance.

“We were there for several days rehearsing so that the tigers would be relaxed and happy to be out there and that everything could be smooth and taken care of as best as possible. She was there rehearsing and working—just the hardest working, sweetest young girl, out there making all the pieces click together.”

Tiger King
Joe Exotic in ‘Tiger King: Murder, Mayhem and Mystery’ (Picture: Netflix)

Antle, the owner of South Carolina’s Myrtle Beach Safari, added: “I have total confidence in that tiger. I knew him since he was a baby. He’s about seven years old right there [and at the] peak of his game. A super macho, aggressive male tiger.

“That’s the tiger that you go somewhere like that with because he cares less about the fireworks, the gas explosions, the banging music. He’s totally concerned with just holding his own and being cool.”

He also extended an invite to Britney, but admitted that she may be put off by the “crazy salicious, insanity” of the show.








Meanwhile, it was recently reported that a Tiger King follow-up could be in the works.

Businessman Jeff Lowe, who purchased Joe Exotic’s zoo, made the claim while sharing videos on Cameo, a site where fans can pay celebrities to record personalised video messages for them.

At the end of one video, Lowe said: “Netflix just called, they’re gonna add one more episode next week. They’re gonna film me here Sunday, it’s a wrap-up, we’re gonna tell you what happened.”

Joe Exotic is currently in self-isolation in prison due to the coronvairus outbreak, while a host of revelations from celebrities have come out since the release of the documentary.

Marilyn Manson shared an old message he received from Joe Exotic asking for an endorsement for his failed campaign to become the Governor of Oklahoma, while it was reported last week that Michael Jackson once owned alligators that died in a fire at Joe Exotic’s zoo back in 2015.