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Joe Exotic failed to receive a presidential pardon from Donald Trump in his final hours in office.

The Tiger King star is currently serving a 22-year sentence behind bars after he was convicted for masterminding a murder-for-hire plot against rival Carole Baskin.

But he had turned to exiting POTUS Trump to for a pardon, and was so confident he'd be granted one that he even had a limousine on standby outside prison.

However, when Trump announced his final list of pardons on Tuesday as he prepared to leave the White House and have Joe Biden take his place, Exotic's name was noticeably absent from the list of the 73 individuals freed, and from the list of 70 people who had their sentences commuted.

Tiger King fans reacted to Exotic's snub on Twitter, with one writing: "Joe Exotic did not get a pardon. Looks like Trump is on Team Baskin after all." Another added, "I'm actually shocked Trump didn't pardon Joe Exotic."

Despite the apparent snub, private investigator Eric Love - the head of Exotic's team - remained confident Trump would announce his client's pardon just before Biden's inauguration.

"We anticipate the word last minute, saving the biggest name for the last moment," he tweeted late on Tuesday night. "We are grateful to all of the supporters, fans, family and friends. Tomorrow is our day. Salute, goodnight, I love you all."