Pamela Anderson and Tommy Lee were the main players in one of the most celebrated Hollywood relationships of the noughties. Yet, the scandal surrounding their short-lived marriage remains an enthralling subject.
Hollywood icons, Pamela Anderson and Tommy Lee remained the ultimate sweethearts in the nineties until their marriage came tumbling down owing to a scandal that may have been avoidable.
Aside from involving two of the most celebrated stars in showbiz at the time, their union swept through the world like a whirlwind. Despite appearing to be made in Hollywood heaven, their marriage hit rock bottom with the same spontaneity with which it began.
Their romance was so highly talked about that it inspired a whole miniseries about two decades later. Take a glimpse into Pamela Anderson and Tommy Lee’s whirlwind relationship, what went wrong and where they are now.
THEIR WHIRLWIND ROMANCE
Tommy Lee and Pamela Anderson came across each other at a New Year’s Eve party in 1994. They struck up a friendship instantly and kept things platonic for as long as they could.
Weeks later, the twosome went on their first date together and discovered their mutual feelings. Their newfound love led them on a romantic getaway to Cancun.
Lee and Anderson tied the knot on the beach in Cancun on February 16, 1995, barely ninety-six hours after kicking off their romance. Ultimately, they moved in together and began their life as a family.
BEING HOLLYWOOD’S HOTTEST COUPLE
Tommy Lee and Pamela Anderson became the cynosure of all eyes soon after their marriage. In addition to their iconic celebrity status, the duo constantly made headlines for their wild parties, PDAs, numerous arrests, and several controversial feats. This and several eye-popping paparazzi shots sealed their status as the hottest couple of the noughties.
Their spots as the 90s hotties were finally sealed for good in 1995, following their highly-publicized sex tape scandal.
THE SEX TAPE SCANDAL
Months into their marriage, the couple became entangled in a legal feud that sent their relationship crumbling. After failing to pay their electrician, Rand Gauthier, among other artisans renovating their home, the electrician decided to retaliate by stealing a prized safe from the couple’s basement.
The safe contained a private video of the couple being intimate in addition to jewelry and other prized collectibles. Gauthier circulated the 53-minute video for profit. Sure enough, it went viral in no time.
The embittered couple filed a $10 million lawsuit to prevent the commercialization of their sex tape. But the contents had traveled around the world at the time.
In 1997, two years after the tape went viral, a judge filed an injunction, allowing the duo to maintain ownership and sign the copyright of the video. Eventually, Anderson and Lee signed a contract with Seth Warshavsky, permitting the Club Love founder to legally sell copies of their video.
Notably, the video grossed over $77 million within one year of its release.
HOW THEIR MARRIAGE HIT ROCK BOTTOM
Despite the leaked video and their endless sea of legal feuds, Tommy Lee and Pamela Anderson strived to keep their marriage afloat. They welcomed their first son, Brandon in June 1996. A year later, the twosome also became parents to their second son, Dylan, further attracting media attention to their already-struggling marriage.
Eventually, the media coverage and court battles began getting to the couple, leading to a series of violent altercations. In May 1998, the Motley Crue band member received a six months sentence in Los Angeles County Jail for felony spousal battery. Such physical altercations led to their divorce in 1998.
PAMELA ANDERSON’S TAKE ON THE SEX SCANDAL
Tommy Lee and Tommy Anderson have been open about the sex scandal, their legal battles, and the violent events leading to their marriage.
During her appearance on “Watch What Happens Live” with Andy Cohen, the mother of two went candid about her viral sex tape video. She admitted she never saw the video, even once, nor made a dollar out of it.
Despite receiving offers worth millions from several companies, the duo remained firm in their decision not to promote the “stolen property.” Hence, they declined all offers thrown their way.
The 53-year-old also told Cohen that she opted out of the court battles at the time because she feared the stress would affect her seven months old pregnancy.
“PAM AND TOMMY”
Over two decades later, the controversial marriage of Pamela Anderson and Tommy Lee would return to grace the small screen. In 2018, Hulu announced the release of the show, “Pam & Anderson” which depicts the lives of the former couple as the center of the biggest sex tape scandal in history.
The cast ensemble on the miniseries includes actress Lily James who plays Pamela Anderson and actor Sebastian Stan as Tommy Lee. The show began filming in April 2021 with a possible release date still in view.
TOMMY LEE AND PAMELA ANDERSON’S RELATIONSHIPS THROUGH THE YEARS
Since her split from Lee, Anderson has dated several Hollywood A-listers and even made it down the aisle with some. She began dating Marcus Schenkenberg shortly after her divorce from the 58 year old musician. The duo became engaged in 2000 but called it quits before making it to the altar.
Next, she hooked up with Kid Rock, with whom she had her infamous bikini wedding at St. Tropez, France. They divorced in 2006.
Anderson married poker player Rick Salomon in 2007 but divorced after two months. They reunited in 2014 in a marriage that lasted only six months.
In January 2020, the actress tied the knot with a long-time friend, Jon Peters. The marriage ended after twelve days together.
After years of soaring the waters, Pamela Anderson found love in husband Dan Hayhurst, whom she married in January 2021. The two have remained strong to date.
Tommy Lee also embraced other relationships, exchanging vows with social media celebrity Brittany Furlan in 2019. They have cemented their status as the ultimate sweethearts in the last two years.