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1Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitches2Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problems3Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minuteIn a September 9, 2024 interview with Rolling Stone, Tonia Haddix said she would do much of what she did again—but would avoid the documentary crew and would not lie to a federal judge. Her answers complicate the impression left by Chimp Crazy: she regrets making the series, disputes how it portrayed her, and still hopes to see Tonka again.
Cheyenne Roundtree’s interview appeared after the finale of HBO’s four-episode docuseries Chimp Crazy. It recounts Haddix’s account of her relationship with Tonka, the filming, and the dispute involving PETA. The interview is a record of what Haddix said and how Roundtree described scenes in the series—not an independent investigation of the events or a court record.
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What would Tonia Haddix change about Chimp Crazy?
Haddix said she regretted filming with the crew and would not have agreed if she had known Eric Goode was involved. She said she kept filming after, in her account, the crew promised she could see Tonka and receive help with some legal fees. Although she said she did not trust the crew, she hoped the series would focus on her relationship with Tonka rather than become “trash.”
Looking back, she put the change plainly: “I wouldn’t get involved with a film crew.” Her comments distinguish the experience of making the series from her feelings about Tonka and the choices she says she would make again.
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Does Haddix regret lying to the judge?
Yes. Roundtree asked about the sequence in which Haddix cried to a judge about Tonka’s death and later appeared with Tonka in a basement. Haddix rejected the implication that the scene was theatrics. She said the footage was clipped together and that the hearing did not happen as the sequence portrayed it.
At the same time, Haddix acknowledged lying to the judge and said she wanted to apologize to Judge Perry. “For sure, that’s definitely not a proud moment,” she told Rolling Stone. Her explanation of the edit and her admission about her testimony are her statements; the interview does not establish the full court record or independently resolve what happened.
Where was Tonka when the interview was published?
The September 2024 article said Tonka had been taken away in 2022 and was at Save the Chimps in Florida. Haddix said she had not seen him and was unsure whether she was banned from visiting. Those details describe the situation reported at the time of the interview, not Tonka’s status in 2026.
Haddix said she hoped to see Tonka again, though she felt less hopeful as time passed. She also asserted that Tonka would choose to return home if given the option. That was her claim, not an independently tested account of Tonka’s preference.
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Does Haddix think people should be allowed to own chimpanzees?
Haddix disagreed with the idea that chimpanzees should never be privately owned. She also said only “a select few” can raise them well. Those are her views, not a safety or animal-welfare finding established by the interview.
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Asked about injuries she said followed a friend’s chimp attack, Haddix said she had made the wrong decision but would still get back in the cage. The interview offers no broader evidence about attack rates, the risks of private ownership, or chimpanzee welfare, so her experience and opinion should not be treated as a general assessment.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.How does Haddix view the documentary’s portrayal?
Haddix said the editing left out context and disputed the way some events appeared on screen. Roundtree’s interview describes the scenes that prompted those questions, including the court-related sequence. Her disagreement with the portrayal does not by itself establish that the series was inaccurate; the interview presents her account alongside the interviewer’s description, not an independent verification.
Asked whether she would do it all again, Haddix said yes—with the exceptions she named: she would avoid the film crew and would not lie to a federal judge. She also expressed a wish for normalcy, saying, “I don’t want this crap, I just want to be normal,” and, “That’s my normal.”
Read Cheyenne Roundtree’s full interview in Rolling Stone (September 9, 2024).
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