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Warning: Contains SPOILERS for episode 5 of Pam & Tommy.
Episode 5 of Pam & Tommy contains several shocking revelations, but how much of the episode is a true and accurate story? First released on February 2nd, 2022, Pam & Tommy depicts the rollercoaster marriage of Pamela Anderson (Lily James) and Tommy Lee (Sebastian Stan) and the release of their infamous unauthorized sex tape, which was recorded privately during their honeymoon. Pam & Tommy has drawn widespread critical acclaim, with the Hulu series garnering particular praise for leading pair James and Stan for their standout performances as the iconic couple.
Pam & Tommy episode 5, « Uncle Jim and Aunt Susie In Duluth, » ups the ante for the beleaguered couple as Lee sinks into a state of depression and gets into a vicious altercation at the infamous Viper Room. This incident threatens to derail Anderson’s career’s momentum, while Lee’s band Mötley Crüe is deposed in their own recording booth by the band Third Eye Blind. Adding fuel to the fire, the couple’s sex tape continues to plague them and strain their relationship, with Lee and his attorneys doing battle with Bob Guccione, the owner of Penthouse magazine. Pam & Tommy episode 5 ends on another salacious cliffhanger, with Hugh Hefner of Playboy and pornographer Seth Warshavsky expressing interest in obtaining the couple’s sex tape, while Jay Leno mocks them on The Tonight Show.
Yet while Pam & Tommy episode 5 feels as if it goes from bad to worse for the famous couple, the events depicted in the episode are not very far from the truth. While certain narrative elements, such as how quickly Anderson and Lee’s tape went viral, have been changed to add drama to the episode, the main plot points of « Uncle Jim and Aunt Susie In Duluth » remain true to real events. Here’s a fact check for Pam & Tommy episode 5, including a look at each of the episode’s big moments’ accuracy.
Did Pam & Tommy’s Tape Spread On The Internet That Quickly?
In Pam & Tommy episode 5, the Hulu series depicts the couple’s tape as spreading like wildfire – becoming a viral sensation overnight. And while America’s appetite for the tape did border on unsatiable in the years following its leak, the sex tape itself took two years to go from bootleg to viral, with Milton « Uncle Miltie » Ingley and Rand Gaulthier struggling to find a pornography distributor that would touch the home video. However, once the tape found an audience online, in mid-1996, it made an estimated $77 million in the subsequent 12 months, with the internet certainly playing a huge factor in its spread online.
Was Pamela Anderson Pressured Into Suing Penthouse?
While Pam & Tommy episode 5 depicts Anderson as being pressured by an intimidating team of lawyers into suing Penthouse, her apprehension to this legal battle in real life remains largely undocumented. What is known is that in 1996, as the tape began to go viral, Anderson and Lee filed a $10 million civil lawsuit against every party they believed had a copy, including Bob Guccione’s Penthouse, among others. It is unknown whether Anderson was truly coerced into deciding to sue, although, at the time, both she and Lee vehemently denounced the theft of the tape in the media, suggesting the pair both wanted to take legal action equally.
What Happened In Pam & Tommy’s Penthouse Lawsuit? Was She The Only One Deposed?
The timeline of events in Pam & Tommy regarding the Penthouse lawsuit are largely accurate, with the legal proceedings only increasing the media maelstrom descending on the couple. In real life, before the Penthouse lawsuit, the mainstream media were yet to acknowledge the tape, with many journalists apprehensive about touching such a lewd subject. The lawsuit, however, changed all of this, with the tape putting unwanted attention on the couple and news of the tape becoming one of the hottest topics in both celebrity and mainstream news cycles. Ultimately, the Penthouse lawsuit and subsequent restraining order were both rejected, with both Pamela Anderson and Tommy Lee ending up being exploited in a time before the term Revenge Porn was ever coined. The one lawsuit element Pam & Tommy does likely dramatize, however, is Anderson’s solo deposition, with the actual lawsuit’s deposition details not released to the public.
Did Pam & Tommy’s Lawsuit Make The Tape A Bigger Story?
As aforementioned, this part of Pam & Tommy‘s narrative is absolutely true, with the pair’s ill-advised legal crusade stoking the media fire surrounding them. Anderson and Lee formalizing proceedings and bringing the tape’s leak to court meant journalists could now touch the story without being seen as « porn peddlers » – drastically increasing the tape’s infamy within the public consciousness.
Did The Tape Lead To Pamela Anderson’s Interview Being Canceled?
Pam & Tommy episode 5 sees Anderson’s dreams crushed, with her chance of being in a women’s magazine taken away by Glamour following the sex tape’s leak. However, in reality, there is no evidence Glamour pulled a planned feature for Baywatch star Pamela Anderson around this time period, with the Hulu series’ playing up Anderson’s desire to feature in the publication. The real-life Anderson was no stranger to the newsstand, albeit in more male-oriented magazines, with the model posing for numerous features in magazines such as FHM, Maxim, and Playboy across the 1990s.
Did Bob Guccione & Hugh Hefner Really Hate Each Other?
Bob Guccione and Hugh Hefner’s real-life hatred is one true fact that Pam & Tommy episode 5 gets spot on. Guccione and Hefner’s deep-seated disdain for one another has been dubbed by several publications (per The Daily Beast) as « the greatest rivalry in porn, » with the pair’s sex-driven empires clashing at the height of their respective fames in the late 1980s and 1990s. As with many other factors in play, Bob Guccione and Hugh Hefner’s posturing served as further promotion for the illicit sex tape, with various news outlets at the time using the pair’s clashes as an opportunity to expand their coverage on Anderson and Lee’s tape.
Did Tommy Lee Assault Someone At The Viper Room?
While Mötley Crüe drummer Tommy Lee did assault someone at the popular West Hollywood celebrity club in 1996, Pam & Tommy uses a different, false version of events to exacerbate Lee’s mounting frustrations and depression in the episode. In reality, however, Lee did not assault a patron of The Viper Room but instead threw paparazzi member Henry Trappler to the ground, dislocating his hip (per The Chicago Tribune) after being accosted by reporters as he left the club. A spokesperson for Pamela Anderson stated that the paparazzi gathered outside The Viper Room were antagonistic to the couple and harassed them with pepper spray, although this statement has never been proven.
Did Third Eye Blind Replace Motley Crue In The Studio?
Although it makes for a hilarious moment that highlights Tommy Lee’s impending fall from grace, there is no evidence to suggest Third Eye Blind ever replaced Mötley Crüe in the studio in 1996. In an interview with Ultimate Classic Rock, Third Eye Blind guitarist Kevin Cadogan, who played on the band’s first two albums before leaving in 2000, states that he has no recollection of replacing Lee’s band in the studio, saying: “I am not aware of any studio issues with Mötley Crüe.” Pam & Tommy episode 5 contains many narrative elements that are true to real life, but the inclusion of Third Eye Blind as a foil for Lee’s frustrations is not one of them.
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