Carole Baskin's savage response to ex-husband's family after they air DWTS commercial

Carole Baskin has become a household name in 2020, but not for the reasons the owner of Big Cat Rescue would ideally like.

Now, following her debut on Dancing with the Stars last night, the big cat conservationist has issued a savage response to her missing ex-husband's family for airing a commercial appealing for information about his disappearance during the hit dance show.

In a statement given to Metro.co.uk, she said: "Someone (a reporter I won't name) made sure that I knew about it 10 minutes before going out on the dance floor tonight and you can see that it did not keep me from bringing the best performance of my two weeks of learning."

Baskin's ex-husband Don Lewis disappeared without a trace in 1997 and was later declared legally dead in 2002.

Don's disappearance was discussed in the Netflix docuseries Tiger King, where it was heavily implied by Joe Exotic and her ex-husband's first wife and daughters that she was somehow responsible for Don's disappearance.

Exotic even went as far as to claim that Baskin "fed him to the tigers".

Baskin, however, has repeatedly denied having any involvement in her ex-husband's disappearance.

As per the Metro, Baskin is now facing a lawsuit from her ex-husband's family, who are offering a $100,000 (£76,000) reward for anyone who has information that could solve his disappearance.

"His family deserves answers," the family attorney John M. Phillips said at the end of the ad, directing viewers to a tip line. "They deserve justice. Do you know who did this, or if Carole Baskin was involved?"

Baskin released a statement through her Big Cat Rescue's website earlier in the year denying any involvement in Lewis' disappearance.

It read: "Don was not easy to live with and like most couples, we had our moments.

"But I never threatened him and I certainly had nothing to do with his disappearance. When he disappeared, I did everything I could to assist the police."