Pamela Anderson’s recent encounter with Seth Rogen at the 2026 Golden Globes shows how painful it still is for her that the series “Pam & Tommy” was made without her consent and turned one of the worst times in her life into entertainment. It also highlights a bigger problem in Hollywood: real people’s trauma is often used for profit without their involvement or approval.
A Painful Night at the Golden Globes
On January 11, 2026, Anderson sat just a few feet away from Seth Rogen at the Golden Globes, where she was presenting an award. Rogen was both a producer and an actor in Hulu’s 2022 series “Pam & Tommy,” which dramatized the theft and release of her private tape with Tommy Lee.
A few days later, Anderson told Andy Cohen on SiriusXM that being so close to Rogen made her feel “yucky” and very uncomfortable. She said she did not confront him in person but, in her mind, imagined walking up to him and telling him exactly how much the show had hurt her. After presenting the Best Actress in a Musical or Comedy award, she left the ceremony early and went straight home instead of staying to mingle with people connected to her painful “Malibu days.”
How “Pam & Tommy” Reopened Old Wounds
The pain goes back to 1995, when an electrician named Rand Gauthier stole a safe from Anderson and Tommy Lee’s Malibu home, which contained a private, intimate video. The tape was copied and sold widely, making tens of millions of dollars while Anderson earned nothing and suffered massive humiliation and career damage.
In “Pam & Tommy,” Rogen plays Gauthier, the man who stole and distributed the tape, which for Anderson makes the show feel like an extra layer of cruelty. The series became a critical and commercial hit, earning 10 Primetime Emmy nominations and major attention for its stars, while Anderson had no involvement, no payment, and no say in how her story was told. She has called the show “the worst time in my life” all over again, describing it as “salt on the wound” and saying she still feels violated by how her “darkest, deepest secrets” were turned into content.
Consent, Life Rights, and Hollywood Ethics
Anderson’s situation has become part of a wider debate over biographical dramas made without the subject’s consent. Similar complaints have been raised about projects like Netflix’s “Inventing Anna,” where real-life figure Rachel DeLoache Williams publicly objected to how she was portrayed without selling her story rights.
Legal experts explain that, in many countries, “no one owns the facts” of their life, and facts are not protected by copyright. This means studios can legally make shows about real events, especially involving public figures, without permission, as long as they avoid clear defamation. However, ethicists and commentators argue this creates an uneven power dynamic: wealthy studios can profit from a person’s worst experiences while that person has almost no control and limited legal protection. Deals for “life rights” often function as promises not to sue, so when someone like Anderson refuses such a deal, companies may still proceed, betting that any legal challenge will fail or be too costly to sustain.
Anderson’s Response and Uncertain Future
In response, Anderson has worked to reclaim her story on her own terms. In 2023 she released a Netflix documentary and a memoir that told her version of events, focusing on her resilience instead of just her victimization. She has also continued acting and has talked about feeling like her real career is only now beginning, as she pursues more serious roles and creative control over her projects.
Anderson has repeatedly said that “Pam & Tommy” was made without anyone contacting her and has asked publicly for an apology from Rogen. She admits she is not sure whether an apology would truly change anything but still hopes he might eventually reach out. So far, Rogen has not responded publicly, even as he continues to win major awards, including two Golden Globes in 2026 for a different show, “The Studio.” For now, Anderson’s story shows how Hollywood can reward creators for retelling real people’s trauma, while those whose lives are used this way are left to pick up the pieces and fight for acknowledgment from the sidelines.
Sources:
People, “Pamela Anderson Felt ‘Yucky’ Being Near Seth Rogen at Golden Globes After Pam and Tommy”, January 15, 2026
BuzzFeed, “Pamela Anderson Slams Seth Rogen Over Pam & Tommy”, January 15, 2026
Cosmopolitan, “What Happened Between Pamela Anderson and Seth Rogen at Golden Globes”, January 15, 2026
Variety, “Pamela Anderson Demands Seth Rogen Apology”, January 15, 2026
USA Today, “Pamela Anderson felt ‘yucky’ seeing Seth Rogen at Golden Globes”, January 16, 2026
Prindle Institute for Ethics, “The Ethics of Reproducing Trauma in Celebrity Biopics”, December 13, 2022