Pamela Anderson’s net worth had numerous opportunities to soar throughout her career, from Playboy to Baywatch. However, due to a series of financial blunders, failed marriages, and the infamous s*x tape controversy involving ex-husband Tommy Lee, Pamela Anderson’s net worth has dwindled.
Thus, how did she arrive? Long before Pamela Anderson’s net worth could even begin to grow, the native of Canada began with humble beginnings.
Her dad, Barry, worked as a furnace repairman, and her mom, Carol, served as a waitress. When Anderson’s younger sibling Gerry was born in 1971, the family relocated to Vancouver, and it was here that Anderson began studying gymnastics and acrobatics while still in secondary school.
The future model also participated in high school volleyball. Anderson’s lucky big break would come due to this similar passion for athletics.
Anderson began his career in 1985 as a fitness instructor in Vancouver. Unsurprisingly for an athlete, Anderson attended sporting events regularly—including a 1989 British Columbia Lions football game that would forever affect her life.
Anderson was selected to appear on the jumbotron while cheering from the sidelines. Her attractiveness elicited the audience’s enthusiastic response that she was escorted down to the football field.
What should have been a brief moment of celebrity became Anderson’s lucky break, all because of the outfit she wore that day: Anderson was wearing a Labatt’s Beer T-shirt at the time, and the firm decided to capitalize on the opportunity by offering her first commercial appearance.
Anderson’s appearance was the first of numerous modeling engagements, culminating in none other than her famed Playboy magazine covers.
Anderson was voted Playmate of the Month in February 1990 and modeled for the magazine multiple times after that. Anderson still retains the record for the most Playboy covers by a single artist.
Anderson’s modeling career provided more than enough revenue, but the model was destined for greater success in cinema and television. In 1991, she achieved national prominence as Lisa on the ABC comedy series Home Improvement’s first two seasons. She got the lead role of CJ.
Parker in the ’90s classic Baywatch the following year, which she played in for five seasons from 1992 to 1997. During her tenure on the series, Anderson began her acting career as Vallery Irons in the dramedy VIP from 1998 until 2002.
While Anderson’s professional career was flourishing, her personal life suffered recurrent setbacks—whether her divorce from Tommy Lee or the multimillion-dollar lawsuit around their infamous s*x tape.
This eventually manifested in Pamela Anderson’s net worth, which today seems quite different from what admirers might imagine. Continue reading ahead to see everything we know about Anderson’s current earnings.
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Pamela Anderson earned how much money from Baywatch?
Pamela Anderson starred in Baywatch for five years, from 1992 to 1997, making her one of the show’s longest-serving and most beloved cast members.
She left the show in 1997, when pregnant with her second son, Dylan Lee. Brandon Lee, her first child, was born the previous year. After quitting the series, Anderson reprised her role as CJ in the 2003 reunion film Baywatch: Hawaiian Wedding. In the 2017 film version, she also appeared as Captain Casey Jean Parker, C.J.’s mother.
Anderson retains good recollections of her experience on Baywatch to this day. In 2018, she stated, “It was the best job in the world.” “I’m glad it’s still being played around the world. I am the character. I have the distinct impression that I transitioned from Baywatch to now.
Everything is hazy at the center.” Nonetheless, the actress has no regrets about leaving the series. “I had Brandon, who was more significant,” she explained of her eldest child. “And was expecting Dylan. And, of course, my family came first.
I spent a lot of time on Home Improvement and Baywatch and Barbwire, and VIP development. Recently married with infants. I needed a break.”
Given Anderson’s Baywatch income, it’s evident that she was able to take a well-deserved rest. So how much money did Pamela Anderson earn as a result of Baywatch?
According to Celebrity Net Worth, Anderson made $300,000 each episode during the series’ height, which equates to almost $6.6 million per season. Anderson’s earnings from Baywatch total more than $30 million after five seasons.
How much is Pamela Anderson’s net worth?
So, what is Pamela Anderson’s current net worth? Pamela Anderson’s net worth is approximately $20 million as of 2022 by Celebrity Net Worth.
This amount is based on her hefty salary from television series such as Baywatch and Home Improvement over the years and her earnings as a model for Playboy magazine and other publications.
While Pamela Anderson’s net worth is quite substantial now, this was not always the case. Indeed, there was a moment when the model went bankrupt despite earning millions during the height of her career.
Anderson’s financial difficulties began in 1995 when she married Mötley Crüe drummer Tommy Lee. The two famously married after only four days of dating, and as expected, their fast marriage resulted in a plethora of complications.
Following their honeymoon in Mexico, the Baywatch star moved into Lee’s Malibu home, undergoing renovations. However, the newlyweds became unsatisfied with the work on the property and swiftly fired numerous builders without compensation.
Of course, the couple had no idea that this would be the beginning of the demise of their marriage.
One of the laid-off employees, Rand Gauthier, duplicated and destroyed the couple’s honeymoon s*x tape to sell copies. When Lee and Anderson discovered the theft, they immediately launched a $10 million lawsuit against anyone they suspected of possessing a copy.
The court enjoined Gauthier in 1997 from manufacturing or distributing copies of the recording. However, it was too late; the former electrician had already profited from the recording to the tune of $77 million.
The couple was compelled to accept a secret deal with video distribution company Internet Entertainment Group, making the tape accessible for a fixed price to subscribers on its website.
“It was absurd. It was an egregious violation of our privacy. This is, like, sacrosanct, you know,” Lee remarked during a 20/20 tell-all about their leaked s*x tape. “Being powerless to do something about it was exacerbating our relationship’s anger and stress.
It was simply devouring us.” As a result, Lee and Anderson divorced in 1998. The final straw came in a personal argument, which resulted in Lee serving six months in prison for spousal assault.
Anderson continued to struggle financially in the following years, amassing millions in property bills and unpaid taxes. Her financial position deteriorated where the actress was forced to sell her home and relocate to a trailer park, where she spent several years.
“Events beyond my control resulted in this temporary yet humiliating scenario,” she tweeted in 2010. “I am confident that all of my tax responsibilities will be met shortly.”
Finally, in 2018, the former model could sell her trailer for $1.75 million—through the final sale price remains unknown. She is currently residing in her native Canada.