The Trigger Warning Netflix’s ‘Tiger King’ Needs
By now, you’ve probably heard of Netflix’s newest docuseries ‘Tiger King‘ since it seems to be the only thing being talked about right now.
However, one thing I haven’t seen talked about at all is the fact that if suicide or death is a touchy subject for you, then a trigger warning is needed.
If you have someone that has struggled with depression, mental illness and even substance abuse, this is a show that might trigger some emotions and you’ll want to tread lightly watching this show.
While most are distracted by the insanity of Joe exotic and the rest of the cast, some are more concerned with what happened to Travis Maldonado, one of Joe’s husbands.
There’s a scene I want you to be aware of in episode five, “Make America Exotic Again.”
In this scene, Travis ends up taking his own life right in front of another zoo employee.
I have to say, I NEVER expected the show to take such a drastic and unsettling turn but it did. In that moment, I was speechless and got the most overwhelming and sick feeling in my stomach.
I can only imagine how someone else would feel if that hit closer to home.
Though the suicide itself is offscreen, the documentary shows the surveillance footage of the man who witnessed it. It is raw and awful and I just feel for all of the people involved.
In the footage (around the 20-minute mark), we see the zoo employee’s look of shock as he watches Travis die by suicide. You should know, there is no suicide content warning at the beginning of the episode.
So, if this is something that will be trigger for you personally, perhaps you can skip this part entirely. Again, it’s right near the 20-minute mark in episode 5. The rest of the series should be okay to watch.
Hugs!
You can watch the ‘Tiger King’ on Netflix now.
