Pamela Anderson has delivered one of her most pointed critiques yet of how Hollywood has used her life story — insisting repeatedly that productions about her have been made without her blessing, and reminding critics and creators alike that she is “a living, breathing human being.”
The 58-year-old screen star and cultural icon, whose career has spanned decades from Baywatch lifeguard status to dramatic acting honours, shared her frustration in a recent interview in which she discussed her feelings about controversial dramatizations of her personal life — in particular the 2022 Hulu series Pam & Tommy, which explored her marriage to drummer Tommy Lee and the illegal theft and distribution of their private sex tape in the 1990s.
@accesshollywood Pamela Anderson still feels a certain way towards Seth Rogen. ‘The Last Showgirl’ actress reflected on her encounter with Seth at the 2026 #GoldenGlobes. #awardseason ♬ original sound - Access Hollywood
Speaking candidly about her experience seeing the show take shape — and the fact that it premiered without her involvement — Anderson didn’t mince words. “How can someone make a TV series out of difficult times in your life and I’m a living, breathing human being over here, hello,” she said, underscoring how deeply uncomfortable she was with the project proceeding without her consent.
Anderson’s reaction to Pam & Tommy has been simmering for years. The series, starring Lily James and Sebastian Stan, recreated intimate and painful chapters of her life — including the sex tape scandal that shocked the world when it was stolen and released without her permission. That incident, she has said publicly, was one of the most violating experiences of her career, and seeing it dramatized for entertainment exacerbated those feelings.
Critics and commentators have long noted that the Hulu production was made possible without Anderson’s direct involvement because it was based on a written article from 2014, which was optioned by producers — allowing them to make the series without her participation or approval. Although dramatizations of real events often happen this way in Hollywood, many observers have commented on the ethical dilemma of retelling someone’s trauma without their input.
Anderson has made it clear that her discomfort isn’t directed at the actors who portrayed her — she has publicly absolved them of personal blame — but at the creators and producers who chose to move forward without consulting her.
Her comments resurfaced most notably after an awkward encounter at this year’s Golden Globe Awards, where she said seeing Seth Rogen — one of the executive producers of Pam & Tommy — made her feel “weird” and even “yucky.” Anderson told reporters that being in the same room as someone closely tied to that production stirred up old emotions, and she reiterated just how painful it was to have that chapter of her life portrayed without her perspective.
“I felt like I’m not chopped liver over here,” she said at the time, a blunt acknowledgment that the decision to make the series felt to her like a violation of her dignity and autonomy.
This isn’t the only time Anderson has pushed back against versions of her life being shaped without her voice. Before Pam & Tommy aired, she collaborated with Netflix on Pamela, a Love Story, a documentary released in January 2023 in which she told her own story — from her early days growing up in small-town Canada, to her rise as a Playboy model and Baywatch star, and the painful fallout from the sex tape scandal — in her own words.
As her career evolves — she is now appearing in films such as The Last Showgirl and remains a visible presence in entertainment — Anderson’s insistence on agency continues to shape how audiences see her: not just as a cultural icon from the 1990s but as a person with the right to tell her own truth.
