Jamie Foxx Dresses Up Like ‘Tiger King’s Joe Exotic With Wild Blond Mullet: I’m The ‘Panther Prince’

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A year after Tiger King became the binge-watch hit of the pandemic, Jamie Foxx made what is (presumably) the last big Joe Exotic joke with the Instagram video he posted on Monday (Apr. 12) “Cathy, I’m just trying to reach you,” Jamie, 53, said at the start of the clip, resulting in two questions: who’s Cathy, and why is this Oscar winner still making Tiger King jokes in 2021? The Collateral star was the spitting image of the incarcerated Tiger King subject, rocking a blonde mullet (with Prince Valiant bangs), yellowed fake teeth, and a black-and-white animal print shirt. “Let me know what you need from me. I’m here on set right now doing some outlandish sh-t. Love you.”

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Cathy may be Corrine Foxx, Jamie’s 27-year-old daughter. Corinne and Jamie’s relationship is the subject of his new series, which he mentioned in the caption. “We all know the #tigerking, but whatchu know bout the PANTHER PRINCE!… Get to know him on the tv show “Dad Stop Embarrassing Me” coming out on @netflix this weds April 14th! 2 days away. #backonmyfunnyshit.”

In Dad, Stop Embarrassing Me, Jamie plays the “hip-yet-dorky dad” to teenage Sasha, a role modeled after his relationship with Corrine (also an executive producer on the series. “He’s very charismatic, and he’s, you know, an entertainer,” said Corinne when she and Jamie spoke with CBS Sunday Morning on Apr. 11.. “And that’s great when he’s an actor. But when he’s a dad, that’s the last thing a teenage daughter wants her dad to be, which is over-the-top and drawing attention to himself. … so, we had all these hilarious stories, and we thought, ‘Why not make these episodes of a TV show?’”

Though Jamie has earned his name as a dramatic powerhouse over the recent decades – his Oscar-winning role in Ray, Jarhead, Dreamgirls, Django Unchained – he hasn’t strayed too far from his comedy roots. However, the younger generation might not know that Jamie got his big start on In Living Color in 1991 and then his own eponymous show in 1996.

“To be the funniest person everywhere I went, and to go on the show and be the eighth funniest person? I was the eighth funniest person!” Jamie told CBS Sunday Morning about how intimidated he felt during his time on In Living Color. “ I would watch these dudes work, and I said, ‘Ooh-we, I can’t do that yet!’” Still, Jamie felt excited for how groundbreaking the show was – both in front and behind the cameras.

“For all of us, it was Xanadu. It was a city of gold. What if we had our own show? What if we had a ‘Saturday Night Live’ that was all Black?” he said. “I went onto a set that was Black writers, Black directors, Black producers, Black cast. I couldn’t believe it. I thought I was in the wrong place.”

Jamie’s return to comedy, Dad Stop Embarrassing Me, premieres on Netflix on April 14.