Two YouTubers Convinced ‘Tiger King’ Star Carole Baskin She Was Being Interviewed By Jimmy Fallon

There’s almost no chance that you haven’t heard of Carole Baskin at this point, but as a refresher – she’s the owner of Big Cat Sanctuary, and the enemy (and alleged victim) of Tiger King’s Joe Exotic.

Yes, that Carole Baskin.

What you might not know is that she’s refused to give interviews following the success of the series, calling it “disappointing” but not saying much else.

Enter infamous YouTube pranksters Josh Pieters and Archie Manners. They’ve pulled off successful pranks on Ed Sheeran lookalike and convinced “influencers” to promote gravel.

A few weeks ago they turned their sights on Carole Baskin, pretending they were Jimmy Fallon employees reaching out to request an interview.

Reader, it worked.

Carole initially declined, but I mean – it’s Jimmy Fallon. After securing a promise that the interview would only be about cats and not about the Show That Shall Not Be Named, she agreed.

The pair scoured the internet for clips of Fallon talking about cats while interviewing guests, and had them ready to go on their iPad when they called her. They were also prepared with an excuse for why Jimmy himself wouldn’t be appearing onscreen.

The interview itself is fairly mundane (unless you’re really into big cats), but we did find out that she and her husband are quarantining at Big Cat Rescue.

Even though they’ve had to let about half of their staff go, it’s fine because volunteers mostly take care of the animals, anyway.

Of course.

Also, in case you were wondering, her headpiece isn’t just a meaningless flower crown – it’s a totally meaningful lei.

Carole was totally on brand and on message, concluding her interview asking people not to pay to play with tiger cubs and to support the Big Cat Public Safety Act.

And there you have it – her first (albeit) unintentional interview post-Tiger King!

I’m kind of iffy on pranks, tbh, because they’re never as funny to the person being pranked as to the rest of us.

How do you feel about this (and Carole Baskin)? Let’s hash it out in the comments!