Shaq Feels PETA's Pressure Amid "Tiger King" Controversy

BYAron A.Updated on September 26, 20222.0K Views

haquille O'Neal demos Amazon Alexa in the Lamborghini Huracan Evo during the Amazon After Hours during CES 2020 at The Venetian Las Vegas on January 07, 2020 in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Shaquille O'Neal recently Facetimed Jeff Lowe, owner of Oklahoma's Greater Wynnewood Animal Park, and PETA is applying pressure on him.

PETA has been on the prowl ever since Tiger King came out on Netflix. Joe Exotic connection to major celebrities earned backlash for the rich and famous who paid a visit to the incarcerated zoo keeper's land. Shaq was recently among those who had to deal with PETA's wrath and recently tried to distance himself from Joe Exotic but now, the animal rights company is putting pressure on the 4x NBA Champ for his association with another zoo owner.

PETA is demanding Shaq distances himself from Jeff Lowe, owner of Greater Wynnewood Animal Park in Oklahoma, on claims that he's equally as bad as Joe Exotic. Lowe hit Facebook a to share a photo of himself Facetiming Shaquille O'Neal and calling him, "One of the nicest guys in the World."

"Shaq facetime’d a few minutes ago to see how we were doing and if we need anything. We love you too buddy," Lowe wrote on the Facebook post.

"We saw your statement about not being as involved with Joe Exotic as the Tiger King documentary made it seem. It appears that the equally problematic wild-animal exhibitor, Jeff Lowe, is now claiming to have your support," the letter from PETA reads. "Lowe is no different from Joe Exotic when it comes to harming animals.

Check out the entire letter to Shaq right here.

About The Author

Aron A.

Aron A. is a features editor for HotNewHipHop. Beginning his tenure at HotNewHipHop in July 2017, he has comprehensively documented the biggest stories in the culture over the past few years. Throughout his time, Aron’s helped introduce a number of buzzing up-and-coming artists to our audience, identifying regional trends and highlighting hip-hop from across the globe. As a Canadian-based music journalist, he has also made a concerted effort to put spotlights on artists hailing from North of the border as part of Rise & Grind, the weekly interview series that he created and launched in 2021. Aron also broke a number of stories through his extensive interviews with beloved figures in the culture. These include industry vets (Quality Control co-founder Kevin "Coach K" Lee, Wayno Clark), definitive producers (DJ Paul, Hit-Boy, Zaytoven), cultural disruptors (Soulja Boy), lyrical heavyweights (Pusha T, Styles P, Danny Brown), cultural pioneers (Dapper Dan, Big Daddy Kane), and the next generation of stars (Lil Durk, Latto, Fivio Foreign, Denzel Curry). Aron also penned cover stories with the likes of Rick Ross, Central Cee, Moneybagg Yo, Vince Staples, and Bobby Shmurda.