Hulu’s series Pam & Tommy has caused some controversy over the fact that its subjects, and primarily Pamela Anderson, refused to be involved. The series — starring Sebastian Stan and Lily James as the ‘90s icons — sheds light on the crime committed against Anderson and Tommy Lee in which an intimate tape from their honeymoon was stolen from their home and then distributed in the early days of the Internet. The Baywatch star has since announced she’s working on a documentary of her own to stream on Netflix, and Pam & Tommy’s Stan shared his thoughts.
The documentary, announced last week by Pamela Anderson and Netflix, will be directed by Ryan White and co-produced by her son Brandon Thomas Lee. Anderson scrubbed her Instagram account, leaving just a single post announcing the upcoming documentary, which has reportedly been in the works for years.
In the photo of a handwritten note on Netflix letterhead, the actress describes herself as “not a victim, but a survivor” and “alive to tell the real story.” Both of her and Tommy Lee’s sons — Brandon Thomas Lee and Dylan Jagger Lee — commented on their mom’s announcement with heart emojis.
Pamela Anderson may have no interest in the dramatized version of her and the Mötley Crüe drummer’s story, but Sebastian Stan, who plays Tommy Lee on the Hulu series — and used a very interesting costume addition to help him get into character — had only kind words for Anderson’s upcoming project, telling Variety.
I think it’s great. I’m feeling grateful and hopeful that the show inspired further conversation and another deeper look that it deserves, so I look forward to seeing it.
It’s been the goal of Pam & Tommy from the beginning to clear up misconceptions about the couple’s infamous sex tape, according to showrunner D.V. DeVincentis. In today’s world it’s not unheard of for someone to leak a sex tape in a grab for fame or followers, but DeVincentis wanted to inform or remind people that wasn’t the case for Pamela Anderson and Tommy Lee. Sebastian Stan said he’s grateful if the Hulu series met its intended goal of furthering the conversation.
Still, Pam & Tommy shows the way Pamela Anderson — more so than Tommy Lee — was repeatedly victimized by the tape’s distribution, including by the people who were supposed to be helping them. The former couple’s refusal to be involved with the series has caused some to question if the show is causing them more pain. Friends who were around the couple when the crime was originally committed have also spoken out against the Hulu series.
John Corabi, who fronted Mötley Crüe from 1992 to 1996 during Vince Neil’s hiatus, didn’t appreciate a fictional detail the Hulu series added, in which the band Third Eye Blind bumped the band from their studio. He called the series as whole “so full of bullshit” and said the fictional take on Pam Anderson and Tommy Lee’s lives was “criminal.”
Courtney Love, as well, didn’t mince her words when explaining why she wouldn’t allow her image to be used in the Hulu series. She called the project a “piece of shit” and said her heart went out to Pamela Anderson, as the show was “further causing her complex trauma.”
Stay tuned for more news on Pamela Anderson’s Netflix documentary. In the meantime, Pam & Tommy’s finale will be available for streaming Wednesday, March 9. Be sure to check out our 2022 TV Schedule to see what new and returning shows are premiering soon.
