Pamela Anderson inner-circle reportedly fears she is being ‘re-traumatized’ by Hulu’s Pam & Tommy, which chronicles the chaos that ensued after her and then-husband Tommy Lee’s sex tape was leaked to the world in 1995.
‘After the tape was made public, it was a very traumatizing situation and it’s unfair that she is being re-subjected to this trauma, like re-opening a wound,” the source says,’ a source told PEOPLE on Wednesday.
The eight-episode limited series premiered on the streaming platform at midnight on Wednesday and sees Cinderella’s Lily James and Marvel’s Sebastian Stan portray the iconic 90s couple.
Re-traumatized? Pamela Anderson inner-circle reportedly fears she is being ‘re-traumatized’ by Hulu’s Pam & Tommy, which chronicles the chaos that ensued after her and then-husband Tommy Lee’s sex tape was leaked to the world in 1995; Pamela pictured in 2019
The leaking of the tape was a time of devastation for the Nineties pin-up, now 54, and the Motley Crue rocker, now 59, as their X-rated honeymoon moment was spread across the internet for all to view.
It had been locked away in a safe, which was later snatched by a disgruntled former employee, Rand Gauthier (played by Seth Rogen). Once the tape was found, it was soon released to the public.
PEOPLE’s source claimed that those close to Pamela believe that the Hulu series ‘is re-exploiting Pamela’ and that, like anyone else, she ‘deserves a level of respect.’
They continued: ‘She’s a human being and a mom. There’s a sense of hypocrisy about it. It’s her life and she should have the decision [as to] whether it’s turned into a commodity for public consumption.’
Pam & Tommy: The eight-episode limited series premiered on the streaming platform at midnight on Wednesday and sees Cinderella’s Lily James and Marvel’s Sebastian Stan portray the iconic 90s couple
Devastating: The leaking of the tape was a time of devastation for the Nineties pin-up, now 54, and the Motley Crue rocker, now 59, as their X-rated honeymoon moment was spread across the internet for all to view; Pamela and Tommy pictured in 1997
At the time, Pamela was already well-known for her role as swimsuit-clad C.J. Parker on the hit TV series Baywatch, as well as her hot-and-heavy relationship with Tommy.
But it was the sex tape that really sent her fame into overdrive.
‘Then when [the leaked sex tape] happened, there were paparazzi following her and always outside of her home. She was not seeking any more attention — she had enough,’ the source alleged.
Pamela had willingly posed topless for Playboy back in 1992, before going on to add more covers to her impressive roster, but having her body exposed without her consent was deeply upsetting to the star.
‘If you go back to her Playboy [cover], she always had the perspective that that was her conscious choice.
Unfair: ‘After the tape was made public, it was a very traumatizing situation and it’s unfair that she is being re-subjected to this trauma, like re-opening a wound,” the source says,’ a source told PEOPLE on Wednesday; Lily James and Sebastian Stan as Pamela and Tommy
Streaming now: The first three episodes of Pam & Tommy hit Hulu and Disney+ on Wednesday, February 2
Exploitation? PEOPLE’s source claimed that those close to Pamela believe that the Hulu series ‘is re-exploiting Pamela’ and that, like anyone else, she ‘deserves a level of respect’; Lily James and Sebastian Stan as Pamela and Tommy
‘But somebody taking her personal home movie, that was not her choice. When someone steals your home movie, that is criminal and that’s a violation. That was her privacy,’ they explained.
PEOPLE’s source reiterated that the entire period with Tommy, the tape, and the legal woes that came with it was ‘a very traumatic time of her life.
‘She’s a really good person and I think all she’s really ever wanted was to be married and have a partner and have a nice life,’ they concluded.
Pamela and Tommy tied the knot on a beach in Mexico in 1995 after dating for just four days. They went on to have sons Brandon, 24, and Dylan, 22, and divorced in 1998.
In 2015, Pamela told Andy Cohen on Watch What Happens Live that she never profited from the sex tape, nor even watched it. She said: ‘I’ve never seen it. I made not one dollar.
![Out of her hands: 'She's a human being and a mom. There's a sense of hypocrisy about it. It's her life and she should have the decision [as to] whether it's turned into a commodity for public consumption,' the source told PEOPLE; Pamela pictured in 2019](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2022/02/03/08/53718499-10471597-image-a-249_1643875966204.jpg)
Out of her hands: ‘She’s a human being and a mom. There’s a sense of hypocrisy about it. It’s her life and she should have the decision [as to] whether it’s turned into a commodity for public consumption,’ the source told PEOPLE; Pamela pictured in 2019
‘It was stolen property… We made a deal to stop all the shenanigans.
‘I was seven months pregnant with Dylan and thinking it was affecting the pregnancy with the stress and said, “I’m not going to court anymore. I’m not being deposed anymore by these horny, weird lawyer men. I don’t want to talk about my vagina anymore or my public sex — anything.”‘
Earlier this year, Pam claimed that the video wasn’t actually a sex tape, but was merely a compilation of footage of them naked on vacation, which just happened to include sex acts.
The first three episodes of Pam & Tommy hit Hulu and Disney+ on Wednesday, February 2.
Seeing double: Sebastian Stan and Lily James pictured left in 2021 and Pamela and Tommy pictured right in 2005
Transformed: Lily James, who plays Pamela, underwent four hours of makeup in order to transform into Pamela, which included prosthetic breasts
Lily James, who plays Pamela, underwent four hours of makeup in order to transform into Pamela, which included prosthetic breasts.
Sebastian Stan had his 6foot frame doused in identical tattoos to Tommy Lee’s and his brown hair was replaced with a longer, black wig.
The second episode proved to be the talk of the town as it showed Lily’s dramatic transformation in all its glory. It also gave a full-frontal glimpse of the Motley Crue rocker’s animatronic penis.
Though they’ve previously discussed the lengths they went to to accurately portray Pamela and Tommy, Sebastian revealed during a joint interview with Lily on This Morning that he actually watched the couple’s infamous sex tape ‘for research.’