So Why Exactly Does Joe Exotic Have A Priest Outfit?

There are many threads left hanging in the new Netflix docuseries on Oklahoma zookeeper and convicted felon Joe Exotic — but one of the strangest unaddressed items is that he apparently was fond of wearing a priest outfit. 

Exotic, born Joseph Schreibvogel but also known by the legal name Joseph Maldonado-Passage, is seen wearing the outfit in a music video featured in "Tiger King: Murder, Mayhem and Madness." The video in question implies the longtime target of his ire, Carole Baskin killed her husband and fed her former husband to a bunch of tigers. Baskin has vehemently denied this. 

Strangely enough, Exotic is also seen in the documentary dressed up in full priest regalia for the funeral of his husband Travis Maldonado, who died in 2017 after accidentally shooting himself in the head. Exotic delivered a eulogy for his husband at the funeral.

Exotic actually is a minister in the eyes of the state of Oklahoma. Exotic — under the name Schreibvogel — filed a ministry license, obtained from the Universal Life Church, with the state in 2015. 

A copy of his registration was provided to Oxygen.com by the Oklahoma court system.

Photo: Courtesy Oklahoma State Courts Network

The Universal Life Church is a nondenominational religious organization that offers the chance to be ordained as a minister via the internet. There are multiple branches of the church but all of them offer near-instant ordination online for either a small fee or free of charge, according to a 2015 article from the Toledo Blade.

"As an ordained minister of the Universal Life Church, you can officiate weddings, funerals, baptisms and perform other functions of the clergy," the organization's website explains.

According to the Oklahoma state code, Exotic is able to perform marriages since he is registered with the state. However it's not clear if he has ever officiated a wedding. 

"Tiger King" is available to stream on Netflix.