Starring Lily James and Sebastian Stan, Hulu’s latest miniseries covers the dramatic story of Pamela Anderson and Tommy Lee’s tumultuous three-year marriage. Released on Feb. 2, “Pam & Tommy,” directed by Lake Bell, includes events which are closer to the truth than some newcomers might think.
At a time when the World Wide Web was just gaining traction, no one — even the disgruntled electrician who stole Pam and Tommy’s secret video — knew how quickly it would become a hit. Played by Seth Rogen, Rand Gauthier worked at the couple’s Malibu residence to carry out large-scale renovations. Struggling with their ever-changing expectations, he was eventually fired. Seeking revenge, Gauthier decided to sneak into their house and steal valuables as compensation for his $20,000 in unpaid labor.
Little did he know, he would find something more profitable than guns or jewelry. By stealing the 6-foot-tall safe from their residence, Gauthier hit gold, discovering a sex tape filmed on the couple’s Hi8 camcorder.
Using connections in the adult film industry — a whole other backstory — Gauthier managed to sell and distribute his find for a considerable profit.
While some elements of the “Pam & Tommy” narrative might be exaggerated, Gauthier is a real character, and he said he takes credit for reviving Tommy Lee’s career in a 2014 interview with the Rolling Stone. Although it racked up a reported $77 million in one year, the majority of funds went to Seth Warshavsky’s Entertainment Group — a pioneer in the online porn industry. When bootleggers reuploaded the illicit content, Gauthier could not claim copyright because he had stolen it himself.
Thus, the man who committed this heist did not become rich. Instead, he lives an off-the-grid life as a 60-something in Santa Rosa, California.
While the show might seem crazy, Lee really did lick Anderson’s face in what 2020s slang might call a “meet cute.” She told English comedian Alan Carr on-air that she credited her work with Playboy for catching the Mötley Crüe drummer’s attention.
When he followed her to Cancún in 1995 — yes, this really happened — the real “Baywatch” star was reportedly just as intrigued as she appeared on “Pam and Tommy.” Four days later, she married Lee in a bikini on the beach.
The couple divorced three years later amidst allegations that the rockstar kicked Anderson while she was seven weeks pregnant with their second son Dylan Jagger Lee. Following a four-month stint in jail, he sat down with Catherine Crier for Fox Files in his Malibu home to say the public did not have a picture of his true personality.
“There’s a huge misconception about me. Unfortunately, the media and my ‘bad boy’ reputation is at ridiculous proportions right now,” Lee said. “I obviously made a mistake and I’m changing some of the things in my life.”
24 years later, Anderson and Lee have a combined nine marriages under their belt. Although both parties have stepped back from the spotlight, their scandals did not end when their son Brandon knocked out Tommy in 2018 following a dispute about his Father’s Day post on Instagram.
“They’re both adults, maybe Brandon more so,” Anderson said in an interview with Entertainment Tonight.
Regardless of past family drama, Pam and Tommy seem to be doing well — for now — with their lives out of the spotlight. That is, of course, not considering the fact that “Pam and Tommy” airs on Hulu every Wednesday at 2 a.m. CT.
Edited by Shannon Worley, sworley@themaneater.com