Weird News

Carole Baskin took just about everything from Joe Exotic, but she didn't get the shirt off his back -- that belongs to one eBay user who's trying to hawk it for a quick (and pricey) buck.

Yes, one of Joe's own personal sequin tops (blouses?) is up for grabs on the famous auction site -- and the best part is that it was even featured on Netflix's 'Tiger King.' Cooool!!! The only downside ... it's going for a pretty penny. The opening bid right now is $650.

The shirt's owner, Vincent Baran, tells TMZ he came across the rare JE artifact surfing the web 2 weeks ago. He says he noticed Joe's old stomping grounds, The Greater Wynnewood (G.W.) Zoo, was offering a bunch of Joe's shirts on Facebook to whoever wanted 'em ... for a price. Way cheaper than what he's charging now though.

Vince says G.W. only wanted $100 for an article of Joe's clothing -- now, the dude's attempting to flip it on eBay for at least 5 times that amount ... and he thinks it'll go for way more than the listed price. The reason ... he says he's seen other Joe Exotic items sell well online.

VB tells us he recently spotted one of Joe's many hats hit the digital marketplace for a cool $800, so he believes he can get his money's worth for something worn on the man's own torso.

Time will tell if people are buyin' what Vince is sellin' ... so far, he's got zero bids. Hang in there, bud ... just like that shirt did for a damn good while in Joe's abandoned closet. 😅

Dr. Anthony Fauci fills our minds with crucial knowledge about the coronavirus, and now he can fill you up with a tangy brew, too -- he's got his own beer down South.

Check out this new line that Wild Heaven Beer just rolled out, called Fauci Spring. The Georgia microbrewery decided to make a pale ale made with acai -- the super-hip superfood that's supposed to be good for your health. So, yeah ... Fauci works.

Fauci's can is a deep sea blue, and they've also rolled out a companion lager ... Don't Stand So Close to Me. Clever and refreshing ... if you're looking for a laugh to go with your buzz.

You've probably heard, or experienced, beer sales have spiked during quarantine, and now Fauci can get in on the action ... in spirit. Or rather, malt. As for how these new brews taste ... the jury's still out. If you're a fruity beer guy or gal, it'll probably be right up your alley.

And, perhaps more pressing of a question ... how are people supposed to get their hands on these??? Presumably, Wild Heaven will get 'em into local grocery stores ASAP. Warm weather is coming, and people are trapped inside ... perfect time to roll out a summery brew. Just sayin' ...

Joe Exotic's antics on 'Tiger King' have already made him a pop culture icon, but don't forget ... he's also a musician -- sort of -- and the popularity of his tunes is soaring too.

A rep for Spotify tells TMZ ... ever since Joe's track, "I Saw a Tiger," was added to the platform on March 30, he's gained listeners in every single one of Spotify's 79 markets.

As for which market's clamoring for the song the most ... the answer is Denmark!!! Yeah, go figure. We're told the Danish folks are streaming it at a higher rate than any other country, followed by people in the UK, Ireland and Iceland.

Americans, however, have listened to it the most times ... primarily thanks to a much larger population, but ya gotta believe it's because Joe is one of our own.

North Dakota's ranked as the state listening to Exotic at the highest rate, followed by Mississippi, Montana, Kentucky and West Virginia. For what it's worth ... Nevada, Hawaii and California are listening the least.

Spotify says along with his vast reach increase over the past 2 weeks, Exotic's averaging an 18 percent DAILY increase with his share of streams. We're told millennials are his biggest fans -- ages 25-29 are consuming Joe's music at the highest rate, followed by the 30-34 age range.

Of course, all of this is besides the fact the infamous imprisoned tiger breeder doesn't even write or sing his own songs ... that's all done by The Clinton Johnson Band. As we first told you ... the band's hoping to cash in on Joe's success too.

For more on 'Tiger King' ... check out a 'TMZ Investigates' special tonight on FOX at 9/8c.

Americans are apparently getting thirstier by the day during stay-at-home orders -- because a lot of our workforce stuck indoors cope to knocking back a few while on the clock.

A new study released by Alcohol.org -- which is, ironically, meant to help people kick booze -- shows that citizens in every state in this fine country admit they've been drinking on the job while under quarantine. The numbers might actually surprise you a bit.

Starting out in the Golden State, 38% of Californians report drinking during work-from-home hours, Floridians and Texans clock in at 22% and New Yorkers are at 38%.

The highest numbers are dispersed throughout the midwest and plains states -- Nebraska, Kansas, Oklahoma and Iowa all have percentages in the 40s. Idaho, Nevada and Montana too.

Interestingly, the 2 states at the 50% mark are Virginia and tiny New Hampshire. Exactly half of their citizenry say they're burning the midnight tequila.

BTW, a fifth of the people surveyed divulged they'd stockpiled booze in anticipation of being at home. The study also shows that beer is the drink of choice for most people, and one-third are likely to sip in isolation.

Meghan Markle and Prince Harry's potential website for their new foundation is now owned by an Internet troll, who's using a Kanye West hit to send a pretty nasty message.

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex announced Tuesday they were planning a new nonprofit called Archewell Foundation, but apparently they didn't lock down at least one potential URL for a website. Instead, a cybersquatter scooped up archewellfoundation.com -- but there's nothing charitable about it now.

The anonymous owner linked it to Kanye's "Gold Digger" music video on YouTube. The troll's intent seems pretty clear ... passing judgment on Meghan's intent in marrying Harry.

It's a low blow ... especially considering Harry and Meghan plan to make their foundation a one-stop-shop educational and support site for a variety of charitable groups.

They still have other URL options -- such as a dot org -- so it's not a total lost cause -- but it's a hard lesson for the couple to learn as they venture out on their own without support from the Palace.

The Sussexes will have to step up their media game, especially if they come to Hollywood ... as many expect. You're swimming with sharks now, Harry!!!

The guy who ran out of a flooding hotel room didn't only ruin the Nissan he jumped down onto ... we've learned he racked up major damages to the room!!!

The bizarre video started going viral Tuesday, and the backstory behind it is just nuts. According to the guy who captured the scene on video, the trouble started flowing around 7 PM at a Studio 6 motel in Commerce, CA ... just outside Los Angeles.

The person behind the camera, Prophet Amen Ra, tells us fire alarms were going off, but motel workers couldn't get into the room because it was locked. One staffer smashed a window to get inside, and once the door opened ... the water started gushing out.

The now Internet-famous jumper escaped a hotel employee's grasp ... and hopped over the railing to flee the second-floor by bounding down onto a Nissan Murano. Smart move ... he hit the car, dented the hood with his ass, and nearly smashed his head on the pavement.

We're told motel workers claim the jumper had turned on all the faucets in the room, and also busted pipes in the ceiling -- and the total damage was $10k!!! There goes his deposit.

L.A. County Fire and Sheriff's Departments both responded. Our sources say neither the car owner nor the hotel management wanted to press charges, and the guy said he had no malicious intent. He claims the room just flooded. Mmmmhmm.

The owner of the damaged car tells us she does have insurance and she did get the jumper's info, just in case this ends up in court.

Elon Musk's Tesla ventilators are a thing of engineering beauty and ingenuity, 'cause he's got his workers making 'em from scratch with stuff they got lying around their factories.

Tesla just posted a tutorial video of sorts, giving folks a sneak-peek at how exactly it's making the 1,000-plus ventilators it's already donated to Los Angeles ... plus more they're apparently cranking out right now. It's fascinating ... they're literally re-purposing car parts.

Elon's brainiac employees give a step-by-step walk-through of the first prototype the team built to donate to hospitals, and from what we can gather ... it's a massive contraption that, indeed, filters oxygen and CO2 in and out of a patient. We'll let the experts explain how.

There's more though ... one guy goes on to explain that Tesla's Model 3 vehicle and all of its internal systems are what power and keep track of these makeshift ventilators, which is crazy! They figured out a way to rewire stuff and make their operating system work for this cause.