Before the infamous Kim Kardashian sex tape became the big deal, there was one other celebrity couple tape that shook the world in the '90s. It received a lot of media attention and is still talked about to this day. Pamela Anderson, known for her modeling career via Playboy and acting in shows such as Home Improvement and Baywatch, was once married to Motley Crue drummer Tommy Lee. The former couple once had a passionate and turbulent relationship which lasted for four years.
As Anderson and Lee moved on to other suitors by marrying and divorcing them many years later, the announcement of a documentary miniseries back in 2018 has brought their relationship in the public eye once more. How did Anderson and Lee felt about this coming into fruition? What was the gain of making an adaptation of a relationship that garnered controversy and for the actress and drummer?
Baywatch Meets Motley Crue
Love is a mysterious emotion that comes in many forms. It can take days, weeks, months, and years for love to blossom between two people, and for Anderson and Lee, the former amount of time was needed before they tied the knot. They first met on New Year's Eve in 1994. Their meeting was far from sober, as the two were already getting physical, as The Sun wrote, "Off his head on ecstasy and champagne Tommy, who had divorced US actress Heather Locklear a year before, held Pam’s face and licked the side of it 'from chin to temple.'"
The two reunited again in late February 1995, where Lee surprised Anderson by flying to Cancun, Mexico, where she was doing her photo shoot. After three days of talking nonstop, Lee proposed to her, and the next day resulted in their wedding. Anderson's mother didn't even know her daughter got married until she saw an article from People magazine. Their marriage resulted in a lot of public media attention, which of course included their sex tape being leaked due to a disgruntled worker that allegedly wasn't paid enough for their services.
Anderson and Lee's marriage eventually brought them two sons Brandon Thomas and Dylan Jagger. Near the end of their marriage, Lee assaulted Anderson while holding her youngest son and a little Brandon witnessed the event. As a result, Lee was arrested for spousal abuse and sentenced to six months in the Los Angeles County Jail. This lead to a divorce in 1998, and despite all that occurred, they rekindled their romance twice, but each time was short-lived.
Hulu's Pam & Tommy Revived Interest Nearly 30 Years Later
Despite moving on from one another, the two have been on good terms. The two found themselves in many more marriages, with Anderson having one that lasted for 12 days. Lee is currently married to Vine star Brittany Furlan, tying the knot on Valentine's Day in 2019. Anderson recently announced her separation from bodyguard Dan Hayhurst, whom she married on Christmas Eve in 2020. Even with the marriages the two have after theirs, their relationship remains to date as one of the most iconic celebrity couples in recent memory.
2018 would see the birth of a documentary series being in the talks. Actors Seth Rogen and James Franco, along with producer Evan Goldberg were some of the few crew members to be associated with the project. Franco left the project, losing a director and casting of Lee. Craig Gillespie, Robert D. Siegel, and Tatiana Riegel eventually joined in the writing, directing, and editing departments. So far, the Hulu series has been a hit with critics and audiences, but there is a vocal audience that feels this is just exploiting Anderson, despite the sympathetic approach of the tape's release being disrespectful of her consent and privacy.
Pamela Anderson Never Received Payment Nor Gave Permission
Unsurprisingly, Anderson was not ecstatic to see Pam & Tommy being greenlit and making its way into Hulu. Despite being reached out to be featured in the Hulu series, Anderson made it clear that she wanted nothing to do with it. With this, Anderson was not paid for the rights of the series and even with permission not granted, the project still went forward. As for Lee, he wasn't involved, but openly supported the series and has praised Sebastian Stan for portraying him.
NBC News' Noah Berlatsky brings up a terrifying, yet well-thought out statement of how the series can affect Anderson and other workers' negatively. He added, "The Hulu series can leverage Anderson’s sexualized internet content without paying for it. Making this dynamic worse is the reality that women and nonbinary people who do make their own sexualized media for their own profit are heavily, relentlessly policed."
A source close to Anderson also told Entertainment Weekly that she is dead set on not giving the series any attention. In their words, they said, "I do know she'll never, never watch this. "Not even years from now. Not even the trailer."
Despite boasting a star-studded cast with Lily James as Anderson and Stan as Lee and receiving positive reviews from critics, this documentary made out of financial gain has Anderson understandably feel as if her privacy has been invaded yet again. Currently, she is focusing on her philanthropy and if she were to ever be reached out by any press, will only want to talk about that instead of what occurred in the past.
