Pamela Anderson was almost kicked out of ‘Baywatch’ after sex tape with Tommy Lee leaked: ‘It’s a disaster’
Pamela Anderson and Tommy Lee’s infamous sex tape caused the “Baywatch” icon to lose his job.
In the new documentary series “After Baywatch: Moment in the Sun,” “Baywatch” co-creator and producer Michael Berk reveals there were discussions about removing Anderson, 57, from the hit NBC series after her sex tape with Lee, 61, leaked in 1996.
Burke recalled, “When Pam’s sex tape came out, the studio said, ‘Look, take her out of a few episodes, we’ve got to think about what we’re going to do with this, it’s a disaster.'”
Anderson became a popular celebrity with her role as CJ Parker in “Baywatch” – but her whole life changed because of the infamous sex tape scandal.
Anderson became even more famous when a home movie shot by Lee on his honeymoon with Anderson between 1995 and ’96 was leaked, to the point that it even affected “Baywatch” in ways the creators and producers had not expected.
“The next episode got double the ratings. The ratings went up suddenly,” Burke said.
Anderson, who divorced Lee two years after the sex tape leaked, discussed the scandal in an unpublished interview featured in the documentary.
“It was stolen property,” she said. “It was two naked people madly in love. We were naked all the time and filming each other, being silly.”
“But those tapes weren’t meant for anyone else to see,” Anderson said. “I still haven’t seen it to this day, it was too sad.”
Anderson and Lee’s sex tape was stolen by Rand Gauthier, who claimed the couple had not paid him for $20,000 worth of electrical work he did at their Malibu home.
They created a website to sell fake copies of the video, and very quickly the footage spread far and wide. According to Rollin’ Stone, the video grossed over $77 million worldwide.
Anderson filed a lawsuit against Internet Entertainment Group, the company that distributed the sex tape. She and Lee later agreed to a settlement with the business.
The scandal was covered in the 2022 Hulu miniseries “Pam & Tommy,” starring Lily James and Sebastian Stan. Anderson reportedly refused to watch the show.
Anderson and Lee had a very tense relationship, including fights with the paparazzi. They had two sons together, Brandon Thomas Lee, 28, and Dylan Jagger Lee, 26, before divorcing.
“The relationship between Pam and Tommy Lee complicated things,” Burke said in the documentary. “It complicated her life. It complicated our lives.”
He added, “I liked Tommy Lee. I loved him. Pam loved Tommy. He was wonderful. But there was a time when maybe they had some problems in their marriage, or some issues, or whatever.”
Burke also recalled how Lee became jealous of Anderson’s relationships with her co-stars on the show.
“There was an incident when Tommy Lee came into her trailer, and she was doing a scene… [David] Chokachi, and he was getting more and more upset that she wasn’t coming and he destroyed her trailer.”
Anderson did not participate in the “Baywatch” documentary and didn’t attend Monday’s premiere alongside OG star David Hasselhoff.
The “Home Improvement” star previously opened up about her wild life in her Netflix documentary, “Pamela: A Love Story,” and her memoir, “Love, Pamela,” which came out last year.
She said in her document that she has “blocked” her stolen sex tape and that she feels “sick” remembering the year it was leaked.
Anderson also said that with the release of both projects, she wanted to “take control of the narrative for the first time.”
“After Baywatch: Moment in the Sun” is streaming on Hulu.
