Why Did Tommy Lee And Pamela Anderson Divorce?

Tommy Lee and Pamela Anderson
Tommy Lee and Pamela Anderson Credit: Jim Smeal/Getty Images

The love story of Pamela Anderson and Tommy Lee is nothing shorter than a Hollywood Hangover movie where the main lead ends up getting married on a whim. Pamela was 27 years old when she met Tommy Lee from Mötley Crüe. It was New Year’s eve in 1994. They were both enjoying the few hours left in the year and were ready to welcome a New Year with their friends at the club Sanctuary in Hollywood.  

When Lee caught his eye on this Baywatch blonde girl, he couldn’t help but obsess over her. “He came up, grabbed me, and licked my face,” Pamela said in an interview with Movieline when asked about their encounter on New Year’s Eve. It was an instant attraction. 

Tommy was so smitten that he chased her even after the party was over. This Mötley Crüe drummer followed her to Cancún six months after their first meeting. Four days later, the couple got married! Yes, you heard it right. It only took them four days to make that big decision that would affect their life forever. They also tattooed each other’s names on their ring finger.

Tommy Lee and Pamela Anderson
Tommy Lee and Pamela Anderson

After their impromptu wedding, they came back to Lee’s new home in Malibu. When Pamela moved in, the house was still under construction. Tommy is often known for his short temper. During his time in the Malibu house, he fired many employees, accusing them of not working properly and not paying them money. That was when things went wrong. 

How did Tommy Lee and Pamela Anderson’s Sex tape leak?

The sex tape leak is connected with the incident that happened with one of his home renovation employees. Rand Gauthier was an electrician working for the Malibu home renovation when he got fired. According to him, he was not only fired but he was also threatened by Tommy Lee.

He was on his way back to the mansion after he was fired to take his tools when Tommy Lee pointed a gun at him. “I had never been held at gunpoint. It Screwed with my head,” he said in an interview with Rolling stone. 

This event deeply affected Gauthier, so much so that he went back to the house and stole some items from their safe. Along with all the other valuable items was a sex tape of Tommy and Pam. When he found this Sex tape, he knew he had hit the Jackpot. A celebrity sex tape was worth a million even back then.

Tommy Lee and Pamela Anderson
Tommy Lee and Pamela Anderson Credit: Shutterstock

He took this stolen tape to a porn studio. The owner of that studio, Milton, made hundreds of copies of them in VHS form. Unlike today, pornographic content was circulated through actual tapes rather than websites. When Lee and Anderson came to know about the existence of this sex tape, they decided to file a lawsuit for $10 million. 

Tommy Lee and Pamela Anderson’s On and Off relationship

Their relationship could handle a sex tape scandal. But when it comes to the topic of their short temper, he could not control it. Pamela and Tommy filed for divorce on February 28, 1995. It was three years after their marriage. The reason for their divorce was spousal and child abuse. 

Pamela Anderson called the cops on February 24, 1995, when her husband of three years kicked her in the back and buttocks. Their youngest son was 7 weeks old when he assaulted him. They framed him for three felony charges; Spousal abuse, Child abuse, and unlawful possession of a firearm. He was then asked to stay at least 100 yards from Anderson and the children.

Tommy Lee and Pamela Anderson
Pamela Anderson with her children Brandon and Dylan Credit: Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images

As an aftermath of this, he was imposed with three-year probation and was allowed weekly supervised visits with his kids. He was ordered to attend anger management counseling. He was also prohibited from using drugs and alcohol. This issue broke their marriage.  

Tommy Lee and Pamela Anderson’s Current relationship status

After he got out of jail, the couple reunited for a short while before they split in 2001. They once again got together in 2018 when Pamela moved back with him with their two kids. But that reunion was short-lived. It ended up with a physical fight between Lee and his 20-year-old son Brandon. This was when Pamela decided to actually call it a quit.

Tommy Lee and Pamela Anderson
Tommy Lee and Pamela Anderson with their son Brandon Credit: Virisa Yong

Both of them married a couple of times after their marriage to each other ended. When asked about the current relationship status, Pamela commented in an interview with people’s magazine in 2015 that he was the “love of her life.” After that, the couple had a fallout in 2018. As of now, they are still good friends despite all the troubles they have gone through. 

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