Pamela Anderson Did Not Give Her Blessing To Pam & Tommy

Pamela Anderson may be the subject of Pam & Tommy, but that doesn’t mean the former Baywatch star is excited for the new show. Hulu’s limited series, which stars Lily James and Sebastian Stan as Anderson and Tommy Lee, revisits a difficult time in the couple’s lives: the unauthorized release of their sex tape. And while Lee signaled his approval of the show last year, telling Entertainment Tonight that “people need to know” the story, Anderson has been mum on the subject.

Multiple outlets, including the Washington Post, have been unable to reach Anderson for comment, but sources close to her claim that she’s unhappy about the series. “The upcoming Pam & Tommy Hulu series has been very painful for Pamela Anderson and for anyone that loves her,” a source told ET. “It is shocking that this series is allowed to happen without her approval.” The source went on to add that Anderson “feels so violated to this day” over the sex tape’s release. An insider also told Us Weekly that the actor-slash-model had “no involvement whatsoever” in the making of Pam & Tommy and that she “won’t be watching” when it’s released.

Some of Anderson’s friends have been explicit about their distaste for the series. In a now-deleted Facebook post, Courtney Love slammed the upcoming series as “f*cking outrageous,” adding that the 1996 scandal and subsequent legal battles “destroyed my friend Pamelas life.” Love also claimed that producers asked to use her likeness in Pam & Tommy — specifically, her 1994 Rolling Stone cover shot by Mark Seliger — and she’d refused.

Those working on Pam & Tommy also never heard from Anderson. Co-showrunner D.V. DeVincentis told Entertainment Weekly that, despite his efforts, he wasn’t able to reach her. He noted that her silence “was understandable” given the series’ focus. “We particularly wanted to let Pamela Anderson know that this portrayal was very much a positive thing and that we cared a great deal about her and wanted her to know that the show loves her,” he said. Pam & Tommy director Craig Gillespie also told EW that producers “absolutely respect” Anderson’s privacy. “I felt, for us, what we’re trying to do is really change the narrative and your perspective of what happened,” he added. “And this felt like such an opportunity to do that and to be able to look at the story through today’s lens and the outrageousness and just the atrocities that happened. I felt that hopefully, it would change people’s point of view on that.”

James, who plays Anderson the series, recently told Porter that she “was really hopeful that [Anderson] would be involved” during production, and that she’d reached out to her independently from the creative team. “My sole intention was to take care of the story and to play Pamela authentically. … I was very hopeful that we would be in touch right up until we started filming.” Still, James never heard from her.

In the end, Siegel told Variety, the showrunners and cast “respected her desire not to be involved.” He added that Anderson is “certainly the hero of the show,” and that he hopes she’ll watch Pam & Tommy. “The show loves Pam … So I hope Pam loves the show.”

The first three episodes of Pam & Tommy begin streaming Feb. 2, 2022 on Hulu.