The family of Carole Baskin's missing ex-husband offered a $100,000 reward in a commercial that aired during her 'Dancing with the Stars' debut
- The daughters of Don Lewis, Carole Baskin's missing ex-husband, were featured in an advertisement Monday that aired during Baskin's first episode of "Dancing with the Stars."
- In the advertisement, his daughters, his former assistant, and their lawyer called on the public to come forward with any information they have about Lewis' 1997 disappearance, offering a $100,000 reward.
- Baskin was recently named a contestant on season 29 of "Dancing with the Stars," and competed for the first time on the season premiere on Monday night.
- Baskin rose to viral fame when she was featured in the 2020 Netflix docuseries "Tiger King" that detailed her explosive feud with the series' star, Joe Exotic, who is currently serving a 22-year prison sentence for killing tigers and his role in an attempt to murder Baskin.
The daughters of "Tiger King" star Carole Baskin's missing ex-husband, Don Lewis, on Monday aired an advertisement calling for information into their father's disappearance during Baskin's first night dancing on ABC's "Dancing with the Stars."
"We are a real family, and to us he was daddy," Lewis' daughter, Gale Rathbone, said in the opening clip in the commercial, which has since been uploaded to the family lawyer's YouTube page. Two of Lewis' other daughters from his first marriage also appeared in the advertisement.
"I'm Anne, Don's former assistant. All we're asking is justice for Don," Anne McQueen, who also appeared in the Netflix docuseries, said.
The advertisement offered a reward of $100,000 for information in Lewis' disappearance. Baskin, who was Lewis' second wife, has emphatically denied that she was involved in her then husband's 1997 appearance. She shot to viral fame following her appearance in "Tiger King" earlier this year and was announced as a contestant on Dancing with the Stars on September 2.
"His family deserves answers," John M. Phillips, an attorney for the family, says at the end of the advertisement, calling on viewers to contact a tip line with any information about his disappearance. "They deserve justice. Do you know who did this, or if Carole Baskin was involved?
Variety reported that the advertisement aired in several markets, including in Tampa and Jacksonville, Florida. As the outlet noted, no one has ever been arrested or charged in the case and Lewis was declared legally dead in 2002, four years after his disappeared.
The March 2020 Netflix documentary featured Baskin and her current husband, Howard, and their explosive clashes with the documentary's subject, Joe Exotic. The third episode of eight-part "Tiger King" deals with the speculation that Baskin was involved in her husband's disappearance more than two decades ago.
Exotic, known as the "Tiger King" was arrested in 2018 and is currently serving a 22-year prison sentence for killing tigers and his role in a plot to hire an undercover FBI agent to assassinate Baskin. Following the immensely popular docu-series, Florida investigators announced they have reopened the investigation.
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