Why Did Pam & Tommy Get Divorced? - Screen Rant

As depicted in Pam & Tommy, the high-profile relationship of Pamela Anderson and Tommy Lee was riddled with controversies, but why did it end in divorce? The Hulu limited series chronicles the scandals surrounding the celebrities’ whirlwind marriage. The illegal distribution of the couple’s private sex tape greatly impacted their personal lives, with the miscarriage in Pam & Tommy episode 4 seemingly triggered by the traumatic experience. Surprisingly, the decision to end their marriage years later was caused by something else entirely.

Baywatch star Pamela Anderson and Mötley Crüe drummer Tommy Lee first met on New Year’s Eve 1994 at the club Sanctuary in Hollywood. Lee immediately became obsessed with the actress and pursued her relentlessly, which urged him to follow Anderson to Cancún in February 1995. Four days later, the world-famous personalities impulsively tied the knot, with their names tattooed on each other’s ring fingers. Although Anderson and Lee’s privacy was violated throughout their relationship — with the paparazzi following their every move and their intimate activities broadcasted to the then-young internet — they fought to stay together and even welcomed their sons Brandon Thomas and Dylan Jagger in 1996 and 1997, respectively.

RELATED: How Old Were Pamela Anderson & Tommy Lee When They Met & Got Married

Unfortunately, in February 1998, Pam and Tommy’s relationship took a dark turn when Lee got arrested for spousal abuse, dividing the couple and eventually leading to their divorce. Despite their similar personalities, perhaps the burden of maintaining a heavily publicized marriage got the best of them. The tipping point occurred during a heated argument between Lee and Anderson. According to reports, the former kicked his wife while she was holding their two-month-old son, Dylan. The actress was then left with "bruises, a torn fingernail, and fear for the safety of her two sons" (via LA Times). Pleading no contest to the charges against him, Lee was sentenced to serve six months in the Los Angeles County Jail. Days later, Anderson filed for divorce, citing irreconcilable differences and requesting full custody of their children.

While their divorce did not at all mark the end of their relationship, Lee aired his sentiments years later in his 2001 co-memoir The Dirt. The musician was confused about the way Pamela Anderson — whose tape heavily impacted her career — dealt with their marriage and emphasized that “she probably wanted an easy way out of a difficult situation.” Regardless, after Lee was released from jail in 1998, he resumed his relationship with Anderson, which lasted until 2001. After engaging in separate relationships, they remarried in 2008, even sharing a home together with their children. Sadly, their reunion only lasted for two years, and their divorce in 2010 ended their 15-year on-and-off-again relationship for good.

After they went their own ways, Anderson had remarried thrice. Her latest marriage, which ended in early 2022, was with her bodyguard, Dan Hayhurst. Since then, she has sparsely appeared in film and television, as she has focused more on her activism. On the other hand, Lee’s life after the tape leaked and the divorce happened has seen him getting engaged twice. Currently, he is married to Vine star Brittany Furlan and has guest-starred in reality shows and sitcom episodes. Although both of them have already moved forward with their personal lives, they still left a trail of disputes, especially involving their children. While most of their issues have already been resolved, Pam & Tommy’s closer — albeit somehow fictional — take still reinforces that Pamela Anderson and Tommy Lee’s marriage remains as one of the most tumultuous in Hollywood.

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NEXT: Pam & Tommy True Story Explained: What's Real & What Changed