Top 10 Things Pam & Tommy Got Factually Right and Wrong

In Amanda Chicago Lewis’s Rolling Stone article (on which the show is based), Rand Gauthier details his master plan that he allegedly executed on his own. Some details are left to our and the show creators’ imagination, but the main details are accurate. As the series depicts, Gauthier “cased the joint” for months leading up to the robbery in October 1995. And yes, he really wore a white Tibetan yak fur rug to disguise himself as the couple’s dog. While it’s hard to believe one man could lift and transport a massive safe with no help, that’s the story. At least, according to Gauthier.

In episode 4, Pam has an ultrasound and takes home a sonogram image of their baby. At home, the father-to-be goes to put the image in the safe. But the safe isn’t there. In reality, Tommy didn’t realize the safe was missing until he packed up his studio. This was around mid-January 1996. The couple immediately filed a police report and hired a private investigator, as seen in the show. It’s not clear when Pam first discovered the tape out in the world, though in the episode, she comes across the “Baywatch” crew viewing it on set. As well, though she was pregnant at the time they discovered the theft, it was with their son Brandon - as she actually had a miscarriage in real life during the previous year.

Believe it or not, he’s had - or at least imagined - having bro-like exchanges similar to this one. Well, according to his mid-2000s memoir, at least. Lee’s “Tommyland” contains back and forth between him and “Dick”, opening with an interaction that’s much less of a heart-to-heart, and more like an argument. But in the second episode of the series, Lee has a private conversation with his nether regions, confessing his love for the amazing Pamela Anderson. Of course, his penis would much rather stay single than settle down. And if “he” sounds familiar, it’s because that voice belongs to actor Jason Mantzoukas, who also voices Jay on “Big Mouth.” Now that’s perfect casting.

Episode two shows Tommy confiding in his friend that Pamela is “the one.” Minutes (or seconds) later, Tommy takes his friend’s pinky ring, gets down on one knee in front of a crowded dance club, and proposes. But the real scene was less dramatic. Tommy actually used his own pinky ring, and the next day, the two exchanged vows on the beach. Since Anderson isn’t a fan of jewelry, and because their love was so strong, the two opted for tattoos instead of traditional wedding bands. And if you’re wondering if the couple actually waited until their wedding night to consummate the relationship, that’s a falsity, too, according to Lee.

In the series, Pam meets Tommy at a club one night, and the next day she travels to Cancún for a work conference. Despite her protests, Tommy follows her there. The two party all weekend, then tie the knot right after getting engaged, all within 96 hours. In reality, Pamela’s work trip (a photo shoot, not a conference) took place six weeks after their first meeting. In Cancún, they had their official first date at Señor Frog’s, and continued to hang out for a few days. Tommy proposed and the two had a beach wedding the next day on February 19, 1995. The timeline may be a little off, but the whirlwind romance still happened rather quickly. But when you know, you know.

In episode 4, hired PI Anthony Pellicano discovers the whereabouts of Rand Gauthier and pays him a visit. After he gets the info from Pellicano, Tommy meets up with a biker gang, who then go on the hunt for Gauthier and Milton Ingley (aka “Uncle Miltie”). The two manage to dodge them a number of times, and according to the real Gauthier, this is all true. In the Rolling Stone article, Chicago Lewis explains a possible connection between the head of security for Mötley Crüe and the infamous Hells Angels. However, Gauthier claims it was the Bandidos, a Mexican gang.

In the series, Gauthier is introduced as a carpenter on the renovation team working on Tommy Lee’s Malibu mansion. But he was actually an electrician. Changing his occupation is an odd choice that doesn’t seem to alter the narrative, but he was still a contractor, nonetheless. The series also touches on Gauthier’s past adult film work, namely with his wife, actress Erica Boyer. The series may have downplayed this career, but he’s apparently performed in roughly 75 adult films. And it’s his connections in the industry that actually helped him distribute the stolen tape.

The series shows the following events: after being abruptly fired by the indecisive, high-maintenance celebrity client Tommy Lee, Rand Gauthier is understandably upset, especially since they weren’t paid for their work. In real life, the unpaid sum owed was $20,000 (though episode one depicts it as a little more) and Lee refused to pay for what he thought was a “shoddily done” job. The series then shows Gauthier going back to the house to get his tools, during which Lee puts a shotgun in his face and tells him to leave. Now humiliated and furious, Gauthier devises his plan for revenge, which he dubs “Operation Karma.” As unbelievable as it seems, the waving of the gun is in fact the real inciting incident that led to the heist. However, Gauthier was with another contractor when it happened, and both were threatened with the firearm.

“I Love You, Tommy” is all about the beginning of the couple’s intense romance. Instead of meeting on a night out in February 1995, like the series depicts, the two were out celebrating (separately) New Year’s Eve 1994 at L.A.’s Sanctuary nightclub. Pam did send out Goldschlager shots. Unlike in the series though, in reality, Tommy actually used his words to introduce himself. But he still licked the side of her face - “from chin to temple” - upon meeting her.

Being swarmed by tabloid photographers became a regular occurrence for the celebrity couple. The heavy paparazzi presence is shown throughout the series, but one instance really stands out. In episode 4, Pam receives devastating news about her pregnancy. On the way home, Pam and Tommy share an intimate, emotional moment in the car, which is interrupted by a photographer snapping shots. They both get out of their car and Pam smashes up the pap’s windshield. A reaction like this wouldn’t be that surprising given the stress and pain she’s endured. In his autobiography, Tommy claims that, when Pam needed to be rushed to the hospital, paparazzi cut off the ambulance. But Pam attacking the photographer appears to be a creative liberty taken by the miniseries, as there’s nothing to back that story up. That doesn’t mean it didn’t look cathartic though!