Ron King’s resume included recognizable media brands such as InStyle and Southern Living. But he left that world behind to co-found Oscar’s Place Adoption Center & Sanctuary, a non-profit donkey rescue. The syndicated TV series Donkey King is now shining a national light on the efforts of Ron and his team as they strive to help as many donkeys as they can.

In an interview with TVBrittanyF.com, Ron spoke about putting himself in front of the camera with Donkey King. He also explained more about the plight that donkeys are facing, and how audience members can help. Plus, what has he learned from hosting this heartwarming TV show?

Brittany Frederick: It’s obviously a significant pivot to go from media executive to co-founding a donkey rescue. What motivated you to make the move?

Ron King: I had never met a donkey. I wasn’t even actually really an animal person. I had a big career in media. I ran a magazine called InStyle; I was at fashion shows in Milan twice a year, sitting front row at Versace shows. And my life fell apart, and I had a midlife crisis, and I had aged out of my career. I didn’t know if I was going to get another job. I was in a really dark place, and I was thinking about, how do I find joy?

I saw a TikTok video of donkeys in need—donkeys are being slaughtered in massive numbers for their hide, [for] a Chinese traditional medicine—and I thought all right, well, I’m kind of tired of the human race. I don’t really like people anymore. Let’s see if having an impact in the world of donkeys would bring me joy. And so I wrote a business plan.

I had never met a donkey. I met my first three donkeys on December 5 of 2020; I fell madly in love. We’re now 450 donkeys in, and I’m the most joyful I’ve ever been. I’m working harder than I’ve ever worked. This is really hard work, but I’m full of joy, and it’ll be my legacy and my greatest gift, to be here for these donkeys.

What made you want to do Donkey King and add the production of a TV show to your existing workload?

Adding it to my workload is a really excellent perception, because of course, I do have a job that doesn’t involve sitting in front of a camera. [Laughs.] I think there’s so much surprise and delight in donkeys. They’re such a misunderstood animal. I wanted to introduce America to their new favorite animal. And the quickest and most impactful way to do that is through television.

We are not a crisis fundraising organization, and so we really wanted to focus on the joy of donkeys [in] 17 episodes of donkey storytelling.

What was the process of getting used to cameras following you around, both for you and for the donkeys?

You do get used to the cameras very quickly. The camera crew at Monument TV, our production company, have become family to us and the donkeys. They appreciate the attention.

In Episode 2 we had a birth, and we were really concerned about how we were going to capture this birth in an organic way, protecting the safety of our donkeys. Rosie, the mother, went up to one of the cameramen and stared at him. He was like, what is she trying to tell me? And then she turned around, lay down in perfect lighting and delivered a baby. And so they’re very cooperative talent.

Do you have favorite Donkey King episodes that you would point readers toward?

Any episode that you’ve missed, you can see at DonkeyKing.com. All of the episodes are there, and you can binge-watch them. They’re about 21 minutes each.

This weekend’s episode is about Roxanne. Roxanne is an orphan that was born here. We rescued her mother from the auction in Texas, and then her mother died when Roxanne was only a day old. I went to UC Davis, where her mother died, and I rode in the back of the trailer with Roxanne on her way home—because I couldn’t bear the thought of her coming home without her mother. I learned that I get motion sickness while riding in the back of a horse trailer. So we sort of trauma bonded as I was throwing up in the back. [Laughs.] But this whole episode is about Roxanne, and just what a joyful life she has, despite her rough beginnings.

As you’re telling the donkeys’ stories, what’s the most important thing you’ve learned through the Donkey King experience?

I learned two things about myself. I learned that I was way more compassionate than I thought I was. I wouldn’t really have used compassion as a word to describe me, and so I’ve been surprised by my own compassion for the donkeys and the people that love them. And about donkeys—just how deserving they are as emotional, intelligent, hilarious creatures, and that they need help. I’ve decided to make that my life’s mission.

And then how lucky I am that I have creatures around me that constantly say, thank you for saving me. The gratification that we get from the donkeys for the work that we do is what defines my life, and it is that joy and that meaning that we’re trying to share with people through Donkey King.

For readers who become interested in helping, or learning more about your cause, what would you say to them?

Donkeys are in trouble [and] not a lot of people are helping them. They are emotional and they are aware, and they have families and they have strong bonds, and they deserve to be saved. And the number of donkeys that we can rescue is directly related to the amount of support that we have. And so your support enables us to rescue more donkeys.

First, we’ll help you fall in love with donkeys. Once you fall in love with donkeys, you can follow along at DonkeyKing.com or OscarsPlace.org and support us, and we will go and save as many donkeys as we can.

Donkey King airs Saturdays on ABC stations; check your local listings. For more information on Ron King and Oscar’s Place, visit the website. Photo Credit: Courtesy of NBCUniversal.

Article content is (c)2020-2026 Brittany Frederick and may not be excerpted or reproduced without express written permission by the author. Follow me on Twitter at @BFTVTwtr and on Instagram at @BFTVGram. For story pitches, contact me at tvbrittanyf@yahoo.com.