As season 5 of the popular series Pam & Tommy hit the screens; we are introduced to the storyline that Lee is being thrown out of the Viper Room after a scuffle with two fans. Still, in reality, the incident is much more significant than shown.
Earlier in the series, fans were offered an exclusive glimpse into Rand’s psyche and perspective. Unfortunately, the latest episodes 4 and 5 focus more on the couple’s personal lives rather than focusing on the controversy.
In 1996 the actress was at the peak of her career, featuring on multiple seasons of Baywatch. She hoped for a successful movie career. But, her action-superhero movie, Barb Wire, was not her proudest project, and the publicity of the tape did not help at all. She suffered from heartbreaking interviews while being constantly picked on by the media; the actress was subjected to horrendous harassment just because she was a woman.
On the other hand, Tommy had to face the consequences as well, and he was seen understandably upset about the public viral of the private tape. However, his treatment was completely different from pam; he was simply given a pat to justify his “rockstar” persona throughout this debacle.
This is where the show was different from reality. In the series, Lee is shown drinking in the Viper Room, and when he goes to the bathroom, two fans meet him, saying that the tape is “the greatest thing” he’s ever put out since his hit album in 1987 album, and they got into a fight after which he was thrown out of the room.
However, this was far from reality. According to The Chicago Tribune, he was charged with battery for allegedly smashing a tabloid cameraman to the ground while exiting the nightclub; the reason for this was given that the couple was harassed and pepper-sprayed by media as they were leaving the club, which prompted Lee to defend himself and Pamela.
While Lee’s actions can be easily understandable from a self-defense point of view, details of what happened cast a shadow of doubt on the events that occurred.
In the show, As per the video footage of the scuffle, it seemed as if the wrapper had a Nazi swastika tattoo, which he supposedly got rid of ahead of the civil suit brought against him by the photographer. The AP court documents revealed had details of Lee’s lawyers requesting that any tattoo information be kept from the jury.
As a result of the Viper room incident, Lee pleaded no contest to criminal charges of battery and was punished with two years probation period and asked to pay $17,500 to the photographer. This whole truth was absent from the Hulu franchise. We see Lee losing his calm in the latest episode; Pamela is also forced to answer invasive questions throughout and take the load of the public tape alone.
