Since its release on March 20, “Tiger King” has become the No. 1 most-watched series in the US on the streaming platform. Kim Kardashian West and Sam Smith are known to be among its fans, while Jared Leto has tweeted some pictures dressed up as the king himself. Inspired by a living example of fashion faux pas, the cowboy look may be the next big popular culture trend for the summer season.

The directors Eric Goode and Rebecca Chaiklin have said that Joe couldn’t be happier with his newly found fame. Goode told LA Times that “he is absolutely ecstatic about the series and the idea of being famous. He’s absolutely thrilled.” Chaiklin has added that “it all helped to raise his spirits” since the big cat keeper is currently serving his time in federal prison.

Tiger King started from an accident. The show’s co-director Eric Goode, who is a lifelong reptile obsessive and New York entrepreneur, recounted the turning moment when a van pulled up on the way to Goode’s initial reptile investigation.

“That man said, ‘Check out what I just bought.’ The driver pulled open the van door to show Goode a snow leopard cowering in the back seat.” From that point, the film crew turned in an entirely different direction. 

After a 5-year-long journey spent working on the cool story of Tiger King, Eric remains an avid animal rights activist. He’s convinced that people in the big cat business are, after all, delusional. “They basically come up with some story that justifies the keeping of these animals. But ultimately, it’s a really selfish pursuit,” he told Vanity Fair.