Pamela Anderson Made *This* Much From Just One 'Baywatch' Episode

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There’s no doubt that Pamela Anderson was one of the most iconic actresses in the ‘90s. From modeling for Playboy to becoming the face of Baywatch, she cashed in big time—literally.

The Canadian-American actress, model, producer, author, and activist was discovered at 22 when she was featured on the Jumbotron at a British Columbia Lions football game wearing a Labatt’s beer shirt, per Us Weekly. Soon enough, she got an audition for Playboy and eventually became their October 1989 cover girl. She would pose for the magazine for the next 22 years, the outlet reported.

While juggling different acting and modeling gigs, Pamela met and married Mötley Crüe drummer Tommy Lee in early 1994. Their three-year relationship was tumultuous, especially after their sex tape was stolen and sold for millions. But more on that later.)

Now, Pamela has come forward to tell her story her own words in her new Netflix documentary, Pamela, A Love Story, and a memoir, Love, Pamela, which both came out Jan. 31.

It's understandable to have a lot of questions about Pamela, including the major cash she made modeling and acting. So, if you want to brush up on your Pamela Anderson knowledge, including how much money she made and what her net worth is today, here's what you need to know:

Pamela got her start modeling.

After auditioning for Playboy, she became their October 1989 issue cover girl, then their Playmate of the Month in the February 1990 issue, per Entertainment Weekly. She went on to appear on the front of their magazine 14 times, a record she still holds, per Life & Style.

While it’s unclear how much money she garnered from this gig, Kennedy Summers earned $100,000 when she was Playmate of the Year in 2014, per TMZ, so it’s possible Pamela made a similar amount.

Baywatch made her lots of money.

Initially, she made $1,500 per episode playing Casey Jean “C.J.” Parker on the show’s first season, pulling in a total of $33,000 over 22 episodes, according to Celebrity Net Worth. But at the show's peak, Pamela was making $300,000 per episode, totaling $6.6 million per season (or $12 million per season today when adjusted for inflation), the outlet reported.

Still, this was far less than the producers, as well as co-star David Hasselhoff, made on the show, per The New York Post.

Prior to Baywatch, she acted in Home Improvement in 1991 to start off her career, and she went on to also star in other shows: Days of Our Lives (1992), The Nanny (1997), Stripperella (2003), and more, per IMDb, but it’s unclear how much money she made from them.

She had stints in reality television, too.

Pamela had her own reality show on E! called Pam: Girl on the Loose!, that ran for one season in 2008, according to IMDb. It’s unknown how much she made from the show.

She also competed on Dancing with the Stars in 2010, and that same year, she starred on the fourth season of Bigg Boss, the Indian version of Big Brother, according to The Hindustan Times, which put $550,000 in her pocket for her three days in the house.

Pamela has a lot of pricey real estate.

Tommy Lee bought an $837,000 Malibu mansion in the weeks after marrying Pamela and the couple spent an “obscene” amount of money renovating and re-renovating the home, which led to former carpenter Rand Gauthier stealing the safe with their sex tape in it, per Celebrity Net Worth. (Pamela didn’t profit off of her sex tape itself.) It’s unclear how much money they spent on renovations, but Tommy eventually sold the home in 2005 for $2.5 million, according to the outlet.

In 2000, Pamela bought a Malibu home for $1.8 million, per PEOPLE, then spent $8 million on renovations, per Celebrity Net Worth. She was unsuccessful at trying to sell the home in 2013 when she put it on the market for $7.75 million. Instead, she rented the home in 2017 for $50,000 per month for several years, per Architectural Digest, before selling it in 2021 for $11.8 million, Celebrity Net Worth reported. (Dang!)

Did Pamela make money from her sex tape with Tommy?

Nope—apparently it made $77 million in under a year, but neither Pam, Tommy, nor Rand earned a profit from it, per Parade.

Pamela also got in a bit of financial trouble.

In 2010, Pamela made an appearance on the list of California's 250 residents with the biggest tax debts, owing state tax authorities $493,144 in unpaid personal income taxes, starting in 2009, per ABC News. By 2012, that number had totaled $524,241, according to The Los Angeles Times.

Pamela was married Jon Peters for 12 days in 2020, and part of the reason their relationship ended was because Pamela was allegedly in $200,000 of debt, which Jon paid off for her, per Page Six. (Pamela has denied this, but she has confirmed he gave her $100,000, the outlet reported.)

Pamela has also donated her money to good causes.

She’s known to donate money to causes like the National Domestic Violence Hotline, where she donated $60,000 in 2015, per PR Newswire, and PETA, where she donated $100,000 in 2021, per Plant Based News. She even has her own charity foundation for human, animal, and environmental rights.

Plus, she's an author.

She’s written several books: Star: A Novel (2004), Patches of Life (2005), Star Struck (2005), Raw (2015), Lust For Love (2018), and Love, Pamela (2023)—but more on this one later. So, she’s probably gotten a nice book deal or two.

And she’s branching out in her career now.

In 2022, Pamela made her Broadway acting debut as Roxie Hart in Chicago, per PEOPLE. It’s unclear how much she made from the venture.

Most recently, she’s telling her story through her new Netflix documentary, Pamela, A Love Story, and her new memoir, Love, Pamela, which both came out Jan. 31. I can't say for sure, but I'm thinking she brought in a lot of money from those deals. (Get it, Pam!)

So, what’s Pamela’s net worth today?

Her net worth is currently $20 million, according to Celebrity Net Worth.

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