Pamela Anderson’s Sex Tape: The Scandal, The Show, & What She Says About It 27 Years Later
Amid the release of Pamela Anderson’s memoir, ‘Love, Pamela’, here is a close look at her sex tape scandal, the Hulu show it inspired, & how the blonde beauty feels about it today.
- Pamela Anderson is an actress, model, and author.
- She is widely known for her sex tape scandal that included her ex-husband, Tommy Lee, during the late 1990s.
- The star will release a new memoir, Love, Pamela, on Jan. 31, 2023, along with a documentary on Netflix titled, Pamela, A Love Story.
Baywatch alum Pamela Anderson, 55, is known for many things, but her sex tape scandal from the late 1990s might be one that is known globally. Prior to that, the blonde bombshell starred in many hit TV shows and movies including Baywatch, Barb Wire, Raw Justice, and more. In recent years the 55-year-old has made headlines when she announced her upcoming memoir and documentary on Netflix about her life. Both the book, Love, Pamela, and the doc, Pamela, A Love Story, will be released on Jan. 31, 2023. Amid both projects coming out, below is a closer look at the sex tape scandal, the Hulu show it inspired, and how Pam feels about it now!
Pamela Anderson & Tommy Lee’s Sex Tape Scandal
Nearly 30 years ago, in 1995, Pamela’s entire life would forever be changed after a sex tape she and her then-husband, Tommy Lee, 60, made was stolen and leaked online. The celebrity duo got married on Feb. 19, 1995, just weeks after they met at a New Year’s Eve party, as reported by ELLE. Soon after their wedding, Pamela and the musician filmed a sex tape while on their honeymoon in Lake Mead, per Pop Sugar.
During this time, the newly weds were having their Malibu mansion renovated and during a spat with construction worker, Rand Gauthier, Tommy fired him. As a result, Rand began to plot his revenge, as reported by ELLE, which included a planned burglary of the couple’s home in Oct. 1995. One of the carpenter’s findings was a safe that included guns and jewelry, along with the sex tape. Since the duo stilled owed him thousands of dollars he stole the safe and later leaked the sex tape online, according to TIME.
Rand also claimed that Tommy “pointed a shotgun” at him and another contractor when they came to the mansion to get their tools. He later told Rolling Stone in 2014 about the incident. “I was never really that popular with people,” Rand said. “But I had never been held at gunpoint. It screwed with my head.” When he discovered the tape, Rand took it to adult film producer, Milton Ingley, and the two of them used a loan from adult film mogul, Louis “Butchie” Peraino, to make copies of the tape. It was only a matter of time then until Rand and Milton began to sell the copies online.
It was not until Jan. 1996 that Pam and Tommy realized their safe was missing and they reported it to the police, along with hiring a private investigator. They then find out that Penthouse magazine obtained the tape and although they “promise” not to publish from it, the then-couple was worried. By March of 1996, the then 25-year-old and her husband filed a $10 million civil lawsuit against the outlet, Rand, and others they believed were in possession of the tape.
Two months later, while promoting her film Barb Wire, Pamela broke her silence on the tape in an interview with CNN. “It’s devastating,” she told the outlet. “But I really do believe that if anyone were to print those pictures, because it is stolen property, I really think they are going to pay for that and I really strongly believe and have faith that’s going to happen.” After a judge dismissed the lawsuit in 1997, per The Los Angeles Times, it wasn’t until 2002 that Pam and Tommy saw some type of relief.
In Dec. 2022, Judge Dean Pregerson granted the pair a “default judgement” in their 1998 “copyright infringement and invasion-of-privacy lawsuits against Internet Entertainment Group”, as reported by PEOPLE. As a result, the mom-of-two and the Mötley Crüe founder were awarded $740,000 each. In total they were awarded $1.48 million (the amount of profit IEG made in selling the tape), split 50:50 between them. Pam and Tommy welcomed two kids during their marriage and during the scandal: Dylan Jagger Lee, 25, and Brandon Thomas Lee, 26. The proud parents later divorced in 1998.
Hulu’s ‘Pam & Tommy’ Series
Just shy of 26 years after the sex tape scandal, Hulu released a limited series titled Pam & Tommy, on Feb. 2, 2022. The show was inspired by the real-life events surrounding Pamela and Tommy’s sex tape and stars Lily James and Gossip Girl‘s Sebastian Stan. At the time of the series’ release, a source close to Pam told ET that the rehashing of the experience was “painful” for her and that she did not watch it.
“The upcoming Pam & Tommy Hulu series has been very painful for Pamela Anderson and for anyone that loves her. It is shocking that this series is allowed to happen without her approval,” the insider said in Jan. 2021. “Tommy feels fine about the series coming out and is excited to see it. He still doesn’t understand how this incident impacts Pamela differently from himself.” Earlier in Sept. 2021, Tommy told the same outlet how he was looking forward to seeing the show. “I know Sebastian, he’s playing me. From what he’s told me, really beautiful story,” he quipped at the time. “I think a lot of people would think it’s one thing, but it’s really about privacy and how things got crazy then. There’s different laws now.”
How Pam Anderson Feels About It Now
Following the release of the Hulu show, Pamela and Netflix then announced her documentary on March 2, 2022, via Instagram. “My life: A thousand imperfections, a million misperceptions,” her note read, along with a red lipstick kiss stain. “Wicked, wild and lost. Nothing to live up to — I can only surprise you. Not a victim, but a survivor. And alive to tell the real story.” During the official trailer for the doc, Pamela revealed that she “blocked” the tape out of her mind in order to “survive” but added, “now that it’s all coming up again I feel sick.”
Pamela expressed she now wanted to “take control of the narrative for the first time”, which is why she decided to release the tell-all film. In addition, she announced her memoir, Love, Pamela, on Oct. 5, 2022. “My Book Love, Pamela is Now Available for Pre-Order: (Link in Bio) It feels like some kind of miracle- to be retracing the painful steps of my youth I repainted scenes in detail if it were my childhood or at the playboy mansion Just one girls messy life A celebration – of imperfections The book is a unpolished attempt. I had no co writer. My life – as a mother, as an activist, and as an actress. I am so proud of this book. XO Pamela,” she captioned the book cover via Instagram. Both highly-anticipated projects will be released on Jan. 31, 2023.