Hulu has premiered its anticipated limited series Pam & Tommy but there is one key person who has vowed not to watch it: One of its namesakes, Pamela Anderson.
The program, which stars Lily James and Sebastian Stan, is based on a true story. It focuses on the relationship between Pamela and ex-husband Mötley Crüe drummer Tommy Lee, who divorced in 1998 after three years of marriage, and the saga of their infamous 1995 private sex tape that was stolen and then released online. While Tommy has been supportive of the project, Pamela is boycotting it.
"Pam will never watch the Pam & Tommy Hulu series," a source told E! News. "The burglary was a living nightmare. This burglary is the only thing in her life she would erase from her life. It haunts her to this day."
The source continued, "It was a violation having this tape taken. This was a very traumatic time in her life. And it's shocking that they are recreating it."
Pamela, the insider suggested, "apparently doesn't deserve privacy because she's a sex symbol," adding, "It's a sad reflection of how far we've not come as a society. Where are the apologies owed to Pam?"
Pam & Tommy "is barely on her radar and she's focused on her family, activism and philanthropic causes," the source said about Pamela. "Aside from family, nothing will be more important to Pam than the causes she supports."
One of the series' main writers, D.V. DeVincentis, told Entertainment Weekly last month that they had reached out to Pamela about the series in advance. "We particularly wanted to let Pamela Anderson know that this portrayal was very much a positive thing and that we cared a great deal about her and wanted her to know that the show loves her," he said. "We didn't get a response, but considering what she's been through and the time that we were reaching out, that was understandable."
Showrunner Robert Siegel told the outlet, "I think if you had to name one person with whom the show's sympathies lie, it's Pam...[she and Tommy] were victims of a crime and they were completely against this [sex tape] being released. They were horrified that it was in public, and they were traumatized by it. So much of this show is about the behind-the-scenes strength and heroism of Pamela Anderson in the way that she dealt with and got herself through it."
As for Tommy, he expressed support for the series after Sebastian reached out to the rocker about playing him. Last September, Tommy told Entertainment Tonight, "I know Sebastian, he's playing me. From what he's told me, it's a really beautiful story. I think a lot of people would think that it's one thing, but it's really about privacy and how things got crazy then and there's different laws now."
He added, "It's a cool story and people need to know. It's cool. I'm stoked."