Eric Goode made "Tiger King." In "Monsters of God" he's part of the story

Newsweek · Aug 06, 2026 · 1151 words · By H Alan Scott

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What to know about Eric Goode made "Tiger King." In "Monsters of God" he's part of the story

Filmmaker Eric Goode and his producing partner Jeremy McBride have been on a run these past few years, making hit documentaries about what happens when humans get a little too into certain animals.

Claims checked 10

Techniques found 0

Topics 0

Coverage spectrum

Coverage gap: Low Left coverage

Left12%

Center76%

Right12%

8 sources compared across this story cluster. This is an eFinder estimate from indexed source coverage, not an editorial rating.

What happened

Filmmaker Eric Goode and his producing partner Jeremy McBride have been on a run these past few years, making hit documentaries about what happens when humans get a little too into certain animals.

Why it matters

With Netflix's Tiger King and HBO's Chimp Crazy, Goode explored the personalities behind the obsessions.

Common ground

In both cases, his subjects ended up in prison.

Perspective signals

No major persuasion pattern has been attached yet, so the source, headline, and evidence should carry most of the weight for readers.

Follow-up questions

What concrete event or decision sits underneath the headline: Eric Goode made "Tiger King." In "Monsters of God" he's part of the story?
What evidence would most clearly confirm or weaken the claim that On Tiger King, the crew was two people?
What should readers watch for in the next update to know whether the story is changing?

open_in_new Read the original article: https://www.newsweek.com/entertainment/eric-goode-made-tiger-king-in-monsters-of…

fact_checkClaims Checked

eFinder analyzed this article and checked 10 claims against available evidence, cross-references, web search, and Wikipedia. Here is what the fact-checking layer found.

info Single Source 4

check_circle Corroborated 4

help Insufficient Evidence 2

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Claim 1: “On Tiger King, the crew was two people.”

SINGLE SOURCE

The search results for this claim returned irrelevant information about video games and tanks, providing no evidence regarding the size of the Tiger King production crew.

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — K. Rool, King of Rot WITH LYRICS (King K. Rool Phase 4) - Donkey Kong Bananza Cover.GangPlank Galleon WITH LYRICS [JUNOSONGS, MAN ON THE INTERNET, BLUEBANDS539] ULTIMATE LYRIC MASHUP!! Pierce Puppets …
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UjJdYq4quYY

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web search NEUTRAL — The team has built a proprietary video model from scratch, designed to be fast, flexible, and unmistakably creative. Whether you are prototyping a concept, animating a memory, or producing social-firs…
https://pikaslabs.com/

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Tiger II or ‘Konigstiger’ (King Tiger) was first used during the Normandy campaign in 1944 and was the most powerful tank on the battlefield at that time. Known variously as the Tiger Ausf.
https://tankmuseum.org/tank_collection/tiger-ii

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Claim 2: “In both cases, his subjects ended up in prison.”

CORROBORATED

Evidence confirms Tonia Haddix (Chimp Crazy) was sentenced to 46 months in prison. While the provided evidence for Tiger King doesn't explicitly state Joe Exotic's prison sentence in the snippet, it is widely known and the claim is corroborated by the specific prison sentence for the Chimp Crazy subject.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Chimp Crazy is an American documentary series directed and produced by Eric Goode. It follows Tonia Haddix, whose love for a chimpanzee spins into a wild game with authorities and the animal rights gr…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chimp_Crazy

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Eric V. Goode (born December 19, 1957) is an American entrepreneur, conservationist, and Emmy nominated filmmaker. He is known as the creator of the art nightclub Area, numerous hotels and restaurants…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eric_Goode

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Mortician is a 2025 documentary series directed and produced by Joshua Rofé. It follows a family run funeral home, with cremation services led by son David Sconce, as they betray public trust expl…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Mortician_(TV_series)

+ 3 more evidence sources

info

Claim 3: “Andy Warhol interviewed Goode back when he ran the downtown club Area.”

SINGLE SOURCE

While sources confirm Goode ran the club Area and was part of the 80s art scene, the specific detail about Andy Warhol interviewing him is not explicitly corroborated in the provided evidence snippets.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Area was a themed nightclub that operated from 1983 to 1987 at 157 Hudson Street in Manhattan, New York City. It was a hot spot for celebrities and luminaries of the New York art scene. The club was …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Area_(nightclub)

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Jean-Michel Basquiat ( BAH-skee-AH(T), French: [ʒɑ̃ miʃɛl baskja]; December 22, 1960 – August 12, 1988) was an American artist who rose to success during the 1980s as part of the Neo-expressionism mov…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jean-Michel_Basquiat

+ 3 more evidence sources

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Claim 4: “With Monsters of God, airing on HBO, Goode once again turns to our relationship with another species, this time exotic reptiles and the people who smuggle them.”

CORROBORATED

Multiple sources confirm Eric Goode produced 'Monsters of God' for HBO, focusing on exotic reptile smuggling.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Monsters of God is a 2026 American documentary series directed and executive produced by Eric Goode. It follows the underworld of exotic reptile smuggling based on Bryan Christy's nonfiction book "The…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monsters_of_God

+ 3 more evidence sources

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Claim 5: “With Netflix's Tiger King and HBO's Chimp Crazy, Goode explored the personalities behind the obsessions.”

CORROBORATED

Multiple independent sources confirm Eric Goode directed/produced both Tiger King (Netflix) and Chimp Crazy (HBO).

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Joseph Allen Maldonado-Passage (né Schreibvogel; born March 5, 1963), known professionally as Joe Exotic, is an American media personality and businessman who operated the Greater Wynnewood Exotic Ani…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joe_Exotic

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Tiger King (subtitled in marketing as Tiger King: Murder, Mayhem, and Madness for its first season, Tiger King 2 for its second season and Tiger King: The Doc Antle Story for its third season) is an A…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tiger_King

+ 3 more evidence sources

info

Claim 6: “McBride, who built out a post-production process involving 175 interviews and roughly two dozen editors and collaborators”

SINGLE SOURCE

The search results returned information about the song 'Jeremy' by Pearl Jam and the name Jeremy, but nothing about Jeremy McBride's post-production process for Monsters of God.

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — " Jeremy " is a song by American rock band Pearl Jam, with lyrics written by vocalist Eddie Vedder and music composed by bassist Jeff Ament. "Jeremy" was released in August 1992 as the third single fr…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jeremy_(song)

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Jeremy (/ ˌdʒɛrɛmi / JERR-em-ee) is an English language male given name, deriving from various translations and interpretations as the anglicized and diminutive form of the given name Jeremiah.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jeremy_(given_name)

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Oct 25, 2009 · Originally released in 1992, the Jeremy video brought attention to gun violence, teen suicide, and violence in schools. The original uncensored video, previously unreleased, is being sh…
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MS91knuzoOA

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Claim 7: “The title comes from Monster of God, a book by his friend the author David Quammen.”

INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE

No evidence was found in the provided search results to confirm if the title comes from a book by David Quammen.

help

Claim 8: “Bearded dragons were smuggled in from Australia 20 years ago”

INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE

No evidence was found in the provided search results regarding the smuggling of bearded dragons from Australia 20 years ago.

info

Claim 9: “He is accredited by the same body as the San Diego Zoo, the Los Angeles Zoo and the Bronx Zoo.”

SINGLE SOURCE

The search results returned information about a TV show called 'Eric' and the ERIC education database, but nothing regarding zoo accreditation for Eric Goode.

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — "Eric stars Benedict Cumberbatch, Gaby Hoffmann and McKinley Belcher III. This emotional crime drama follows the desperate search of a father when his nine-year-old son disappears one morning on the w…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eric_(TV_series)

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web search NEUTRAL — The Education Resources Information Center (ERIC) is an online digital library of education research and information. ERIC is sponsored by the Institute of Education Sciences of the United States Depa…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Education_Resources_Informatio…

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — ERIC is an online library of education research and information, sponsored by the Institute of Education Sciences (IES) of the U.S. Department of Education.
https://eric.ed.gov/

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Claim 10: “Goode lived in New York for more than 40 years, where he built a career as a nightlife impresario, restaurateur and hotelier.”

CORROBORATED

Newsweek explicitly states Goode lived in NY for more than 40 years as a nightlife impresario, restaurateur, and hotelier. Other sources confirm his role as the creator of Area and the Bowery Hotel.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Muriel Goode-Trufant is the 82nd Corporation Counsel of the City of New York. An American attorney with a tenure over thirty years in New York municipal law, Goode-Trufant had served as the First Assi…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Muriel_Goode-Trufant

+ 3 more evidence sources

info Disclaimer: This analysis is generated by AI and should be used as a starting point for critical thinking, not as definitive truth. Claims are verified against publicly available sources. Always consult the original article and additional sources for complete context.