Tonia HaddixMax’s passion for chimpanzees is the subject of Chimpanzee crazy documentary series, but she doesn’t believe it’s accurate.

“As far as the documentary as a whole goes, I think it’s very cheeky and quite scripted and definitely not accurate,” she said in an interview with the Australian radio show “Carrie and Tommy Show” on Thursday, August 29.

In the documentary – the first episode was released earlier this week – Haddix describes herself as the “Dolly Parton of chimpanzees” as she claims to have owned at least seven monkeys in her life. One of her chimpanzees was Tonka, best known for Hollywood roles in Brendan Fraser‘S George of the Jungle And Alan Cumming‘S Buddy.

“Tonka and I just found each other,” Haddix enthused Crazy chimpanzee. “It was meant to be. It was natural. And Tonka loved me as much as I loved Tonka.”

Related: Celebrities with their pets

Celebrities may be on the covers of magazines and all over the internet, but their pets are becoming just as famous! Check out some of our favorites.

Cumming, 59, also appeared in the documentary after starring alongside the animal in the 1997 film.

“People fall in love with these chimpanzees, and you can’t tame wild animals,” the Scottish actor said in a trailer. “When you’re in love, your brain goes out of control. Chemicals and hormones and things happen that make you irrational.”

Haddix’s ownership of Tonka soon sparked controversy with PETA, which was trying to rescue the mammal. PETA sued the Missouri Primate Foundation, where Haddix kept her pets, in 2017 over the conditions there. Haddix was named in the lawsuit for helping the organization.

“I volunteered and was ready to go there and provide care and financial support to these chimpanzees so they could stay in the only home they know,” Haddix told a local Fox affiliate at the time.

Related: The biggest controversies and scandals surrounding celebrity pets

Many stars have come under fire for their pet ownership, including Rachel “Raquel” Leviss and Pete Davidson. The “Vanderpump Rules” star and his then-fiancé James Kennedy adopted their dog Graham Cracker during their early relationship. After their split in December 2021, Leviss retained custody of the dog, but many co-stars criticized his bad behavior. “Rachel brought (…)

Haddix and PETA reached an agreement in 2020 that she could retain ownership of the chimpanzees, including Tonka, as long as she upgraded the Missouri Primate Foundation facility. She failed to meet the terms, and a judge found her in contempt of court. All seven of her chimpanzees were ordered to be released from Haddix’s care.

Haddix then claimed in 2021 that Tonka died to avoid being handed over to the nonprofit. She was later ordered to pay PETA $225,000 in legal fees for faking Tonka’s death. All of the chimpanzees were taken to the Center for Great Apes in Florida. The next year, Tonka was transferred to the federal sanctuary Save the Chimp.

After filming, Haddix told Inside Edition in 2022 that she believes that the Chimpanzee crazy Wanting to create more drama, the documentary filmmakers sent the anonymous tip that led to U.S. Marshals storming her house and finding Tonka alive in her basement.

“They wanted a great ending to their story so they could get the $60 million from this documentary,” she claimed. “They lied to me from the beginning.”

Haddix now works as an exotic animal broker in Sunrise Beach, Missouri, where she lives with her husband Jerry Asweganwho owns a mobile petting zoo. (Haddix married Aswegan in 2021, a year after the death of her late first husband, Gary.)

Haddix is ​​also the mother of adult children Justin and Erica and once claimed that she loved the chimpanzees more than her son and daughter.

“I’ve never seen her so passionate about anything in my life. Ever,” Justin joked in the documentary. “And that goes for her own son too.”

After the release of Chimpanzee crazy, Haddix said on Australia’s “Carrie and Tommy Show” that she felt misunderstood. She said of her actions: “I definitely regret it. … At the time, I was just desperate and honestly didn’t know what else to do. It wasn’t thought through.”

She also claimed that a chimpanzee attack depicted in the documentary was not real. “I can assure you that I have never been hurt by a chimpanzee. Ever.” She declined to explain how she was injured, adding: “I just feel like the whole situation was staged.”

Chimpanzee crazy is now streaming on Max.