Carol Baskin made her debut on Dancing With The Stars on Monday (September 14). The Big Cat Rescue founder's first performance was set, unsurprisingly, to 'Eye of the Tiger' by Survivor. Fans who binge-watched Netflix's Tiger King documentary were surely amused by Baskin's DWTS appearance, however, the family of Baskin's missing husband Don Lewis certainly were not.
During the DWTS broadcast, Lewis' family aired a commercial addressing his disappearance, as well as the accusations that Baskin had something to do with it. In Tiger King, Baskin's rival Joseph Maldonado-Passage, better known by his stage name, Joe Exotic, alleged Baskin fed Lewis to the tigers at Big Cat Rescue. Lewis' three daughters Gale, Lynda and Donna, as well as his former assistant Anne, asked for anyone with information in the case to come forward.
The family's lawyer, John Phillips, who also appears in the commercial, took to Twitter to condemn ABC for casting Baskin on DWTS. "Tonight during Dancing with the Stars the family of Don Lewis aired a special message in response to Carole Baskin being on the show," Phillips wrote, linking to the commercial. "We are disappointed the producers are choosing sensation of answers and ratings over justice."
Lewis has been missing since 1997. Baskin denies any involvement in his disappearance. The Lewis family announced a $100,000 reward for any viable information or tips about the case and shared a tip-line for anyone with information to call.
Photo: ABC