Pam & Tommy at the Emmys: a scandalous story turned into acclaimed fiction

The story of love and excess
Pam & Tommy, Emmy-nominated series
The real story and the fiction
How did the story of Pam & Tommy really start?
The couple of the moment
A wild lifestyle
The infamous video
Private scenes made public
The origin of the leak
Leaked for revenge?
Difficult to get the video out of circulation
Pamela Anderson: from Baywatch to motherhood
Tommy Lee's problems with justice
Racism and fights
Beef with Kid Rock
Breakup and reconciliation
A toxic relationship
An unending party
The definite break
Tommy Lee's domestic problems with his son
And what about Pamela Anderson?
Married again in 2020
The Emmy-nominated actors who played Pam and Tommy
Lily James as Pamela Anderson
Sebastian Stan as Tommy Lee
The actors hyped the series with their sneak peeks
The director of 'Pam & Tommy'
Tommy Lee's reaction to the series
Sebastian Stan and Tommy Lee talked about the role
Courtney Love finds the series
They're pop culture history
What critics say about 'Pam & Tommy'
The story of love and excess

In the 1990s and early '00s, this wild couple caused raised eyebrows and open mouths all over the world. Their story of love and excess has since become a pop culture classic. A limited series on Disney Plus, 'Pam & Tommy,' captures their stormy romance.

Pam & Tommy, Emmy-nominated series

'Pam & Tommy' was a hit in 2022 and got multiple Emmy Award nominations, including that of Lead Actress for Lily James and Lead Actor for Stan Sebastian.

(Image: Hulu / Disney+)

The real story and the fiction

The series describes Pam and Tommy's instant wedding, the leaking of their intimate home video, and the passions between them - which often included a passionate hatred. Read further to learn more about the reality and the fiction of Pam and Tommy.

(Image: Hulu / Disney+)

How did the story of Pam & Tommy really start?

Pamela Anderson was a television superstar and Tommy Lee a rocker with Mötley Crüe. They met on New Year's Eve 1994. Shortly after, in 1995, they met again, and they fell in love with such a hurry that only 96 hours later they got married in Cancún, Mexico.

 

The couple of the moment

With such a spectacular start and both in a thriving career, Pam and Tommy were the brightest couple of the late 90s and early 2000s.

A wild lifestyle

There was punk, provocation, and the vindication of the vulgar in front of other, more sophisticated stars.

The infamous video

A leaked home video radically changed Pam and Tommy's lives. It contained an intimate recording made during the couple's honeymoon. The video circulated massively in 1998.

 

Private scenes made public

Suddenly, everyone could see Pamela Anderson and Tommy Lee acting as a couple in an area that should have remained absolutely private.

(Image: Hulu / Disney+)

The origin of the leak

According to certain journalists, an employee who worked on the renovation of Pam and Tommy's mansion leaked the video. And they didn't even do it for money, Rolling Stone suggested.

 

Leaked for revenge?

Rolling Stone echoed reports that the couple had been somewhat authoritarian with the construction workers and that the builders may have leaked one of their sensitive tapes out of revenge.

Difficult to get the video out of circulation

The mid-90s were a time when the Internet was just beginning, and yet, the video of Pamela Anderson and Tommy Lee spread like wildfire. The couple sued and managed to withdraw it from circulation. Still, millions of people had already seen it.

Pamela Anderson: from Baywatch to motherhood

With Tommy Lee as her husband came the time of motherhood for Pamela Anderson. They had two children: Brandon was born in 1996 and Dylan in 1997.

Tommy Lee's problems with justice

Tommy Lee had several violent episodes that landed him in jail. Pamela Anderson even denounced him for assaulting her, causing Tommy to go behind bars for six months. And that wasn't even everything.

Racism and fights

Tommy Lee has been accused of racism, for example by having a swastika tattoo and by encouraging the audience at one of his concerts to attack an African-American security agent.

 

Beef with Kid Rock

In addition, he was expelled from the 2007 MTV Video Awards for fighting with Kid Rock. All these matters brought him to court on more than one occasion.

Breakup and reconciliation

Unsurprisingly, Pamela Anderson broke up with Tommy Lee after accusing him of assault and seeing him sentenced to jail. They divorced in 1998. However, the passion was too strong for the couple, and they got back together in 2001.

A toxic relationship

Everything seems to indicate that the relationship between Pamela Anderson and Tommy Lee was toxic. It was one of those romances that are bound to lead to disaster.

An unending party

To the public, Pamela Anderson and Tommy Lee's relationship seemed to be a permanent party. Their lives appeared to consist of going out every night, judging by the vast number of photos and videos on which we could see them partying.

The definite break

In 2008, the couple reached their final separation. Tommy Lee and Pamela Anderson took different paths.

Tommy Lee's domestic problems with his son

Of course, they had two children together. And unfortunately, not a lot of good news came from that front. In 2018 TMZ reported that Pamela and Tommy's son Brandon had punched his father during an argument.

And what about Pamela Anderson?

Pamela Anderson, here on a picture with Brandon, has mostly turned to activism. She fought for animals and for the freedom of Julian Assange. Some even suggested that she had an affair with the WikiLeaks boss while he was locked into the Ecuadorian embassy in London.

Married again in 2020

For Pamela Anderson, there have been plenty of men to choose from. Her most recent lover, bodyguard Dan Hayhurst, even married the star in December 2020. Unfortunately, the couple divorced shortly afterward.

The Emmy-nominated actors who played Pam and Tommy

Pamela Anderson is played by the British actress Lily James, known for quite distinct TV projects like 'Downton Abbey' and 'The Pursuit of Love.' She's also starred in the movies 'Mamma Mia!' and 'Yesterday.' Just imagine this posh period drama actress in the shoes of Pamela Anderson!

Lily James as Pamela Anderson

Well, there she is. Lily James plays Pamela Anderson and the resemblance is striking. She got a nomination for an Emmy Award for this role.

(Image: Hulu / Disney+)

Sebastian Stan as Tommy Lee

As for the role of Tommy Lee, Sebastian Stan is playing it with much success: he too was nominated for an Emmy Award. Stan is a Marvel actor who's appeared in Captain America films and in the series 'The Falcon and the Winter Soldier.'

The actors hyped the series with their sneak peeks

Like Lily James, Sebastian Stan posted a photo of himself in Tommy Lee costume on his Instagram account, @imsebastianstan. And just like with Lily James's picture, fans went wild.

The director of 'Pam & Tommy'

The series about Pamela Anderson and Tommy Lee is directed by Craig Gillespie. He's a director of great acclaim, thanks to 'I, Tonya,' among others, in which he managed to turn a real story into excellent drama.

Tommy Lee's reaction to the series

Tommy Lee, who is currently still making music with Mötley Crüe, has not made any remarks about the content of the series. However, in September 2021, at the MTV Video Music Awards, he told ET Online that he was "stoked" and that it was "cool" they were making the series.

Sebastian Stan and Tommy Lee talked about the role

Lee told ET Online that he had been in contact with Sebastian Stan, the actor playing him in 'Pam & Tommy.' "From what he's told me, it's a really beautiful story," he said. "He tells me it's pretty wild." Lee added that "it's a cool story and people need to know. It's cool, I'm stoked."

(Image: Sebastian Stan in 'Pam & Tommy', Hulu / Disney+)

 

"The story is cool, but what happened wasn't"

The drummer also pointed out that "the story is cool, but what actually happened wasn't.... It's really about privacy and how things got crazy then. There's different laws now."

(Image: Lily James and Sebastian Stan, 'Pam & Tommy,' Hulu / Disney+)

Courtney Love finds the series "vile"

While Pamela Anderson has remained silent about the series, her friend Courtney Love did write her opinion in a Facebook post. She called the series "outrageous" and "vile," as it was "further causing complex trauma" to "Pammy." To Lily James, who'd just posted her photo in Pam costume, Courtney Love said: "Shame on Lily James, whoever the [...] she is."

They're pop culture history

Although the personal trauma for Pamela Anderson may indeed be real and complex, as Courtney Love says, the story about Pam and Tommy's video is generally considered a pop culture classic. Theirs was one of the first viral videos on the (new) Internet and, because of that, it was an event with an immense impact.

What critics say about 'Pam & Tommy'

Critics describe the series as "fun-filled" (Hollywood Reporter) and "screwball comedy" (New York Times). Some of them, however, including Digital Spy and Washington Post say it may have been wrong to make the series without Pamela Anderson's consent and cooperation. By doing so, they argue, the show repeats the exact violation of the couple's privacy that it is supposed to reflect upon.

More for you