What Happened To Tommy Lee After The Tape Leaked

After the infamous tape chronicling his intimate relationship with Pamela Anderson was released, Tommy Lee faced even more controversies in his personal life than what Pam & Tommy shows. Based on a 2014 Rolling Stone article by Amanda Chicago Lewis, Hulu’s miniseries focuses on the aftermath of the private sex tape being stolen and released online without their consent. As the miniseries depicts, Anderson and Lee’s tape was stolen by their former electrician Rand Gauthier, who then released it on the then-young internet. However, while the true story of Pam & Tommy was somehow altered to fit the show, the controversial outcome impacted both Anderson and Lee.

Actress Pamela Anderson and drummer Tommy Lee first met on New Year’s Eve in 1994. After getting Anderson’s number, Lee pursued her insistently until he finally tracked her down in Cancun in February 1995. Just four days later, the couple got married, with their names tattooed on each other’s fingers. During their honeymoon, Anderson and Lee recorded their intimate activities. When it was leaked, the tape became a landmark scandal that raised sticky ethical questions for the fledgling internet regarding concepts like privacy laws, distribution of personal material, copyright law, consent issues, and what constitutes sexual harassment. For Anderson and Lee, however, their nightmare was far more personal.

Although the scandal surrounding their personal lives placed a major strain on their marriage, Anderson and Lee, portrayed by Lily James and Sebastian Stan in the miniseries, respectively, stayed together. They even welcomed their first son, Brandon Thomas, in June 1996, and a year and a half later, they had their second, Dylan Jagger. In 1998, their always-tumultuous relationship took a dark turn when Lee was arrested for spousal abuse. According to reports, Anderson was holding her son Dylan when her husband kicked her, leaving her with “bruises, a torn fingernail, and fear for the safety of her two sons.” (via LA Times) Lee served six months in the Los Angeles County Jail, and a few months later, Anderson filed for divorce.

When Lee was released from jail, he briefly reunited with Anderson, but in between their complicated history, probation violations, and prison sentences, the two separated again in 2001. A year later, Lee was engaged to Mayte Garcia, the ex-wife of Prince, who had a cameo in New Girl. She was also a dancer who worked with Lee on his album Never a Dull Moment; unfortunately, they ended their relationship in 2003. Five years later, Anderson and Lee got married again, and they were sharing a home with their children once more. Sadly, in 2010, the on-and-off couple decided to go their separate ways for good. Since then, Lee had been in other relationships, and in 2019, he married actress and Internet personality Brittany Furlan.

Professionally, Lee had long been a member of the band Mötley Crüe, and also formed two other bands over the years, Methods of Mayhem and Rock Star Supernova. He also appeared on albums by other artists, such as Nine Inch Nails and Rob Zombie. In 2007, Lee officially left Mötley Crüe, a story adapted in Netflix’s The Dirt. He then pursued a solo career in music, including trying his hand at being an electronic dance music DJ with his production partner DJ Aero. They were known as Electro Mayhem, and they managed to book major music festivals and tours across North and Central America in the early 2000s. Additionally, Lee rejoined his bandmates when Mötley Crüe had their farewell tour in 2014. He also appeared in television shows, including the NBC reality show Tommy Lee Goes to College, Planet Green’s Battleground Earth, and The Goldbergs. He also gave consent for Hulu to release Pam & Tommy, despite Anderson’s refusal to be involved.  Most recently, Tommy Lee, alongside Machine Gun Kelly, Iann Dior, and Dana Dentata, starred in a musical horror podcast called Halloween in Hell.

Pam & Tommy releases new episodes of the limited series every Wednesday on Hulu.

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