Pam & Tommy on Disney+ has been accused of "re-opening a wound" for Pamela Anderson, by a source.
Pam & Tommy, which was released yesterday on the streaming platform, recounts the release of a sex tape made by Pamela and then-husband Tommy Lee on their honeymoon, in the 1990s.
The tape was stolen by a former employee Rand Gauthier, who then leaked it to the public.
After the premier of the show in America on Hulu, a source told People: "There's a sense that the show is re-exploiting Pamela."
"After the tape was made public, it was a very traumatizing situation and it's unfair that she is being re-subjected to this trauma, like re-opening a wound."
The source added: "Pamela deserves a level of respect. She's a human being and a mom. There's a sense of hypocrisy about it. It's her life and she should have the decision [as to] whether it's turned into a commodity for public consumption."
The bombshell, now 54, rose to fame through her role in TV show Baywatch and wed Mötley Crüe drummer Tommy after a whirlwind four-day romance in February 1995.
"Then when [the leaked sex tape] happened, there were paparazzi following her and always outside of her home. She was not seeking any more attention — she had enough," the source said.
"If you go back to her Playboy [cover], she always had the perspective that that was her conscious choice," the source said.
"But somebody taking her personal home movie, that was not her choice. When someone steals your home movie, that is criminal and that's a violation. That was her privacy."
The source continued: "This was a very traumatic time of her life. She's a really good person and I think all she's really ever wanted was to be married and have a partner and have a nice life."
The miniseries stars Lily James as Pamela, Sebastian Stan as Tommy, Seth Rogen as Rand and Nick Offerman as adult film producer Milton Ingley, who Rand contacted to get the tape out into the mainstream.
The couple tried to prevent the tape's release by suing the distributor, Internet Entertainment Group. Eventually a confidential settlement was reached but the tape was still released publicly.
The stolen sex tape was one of the first viral internet scandals, and seen by millions.
In 2015, Pamela spoke about the impact of the tape's release on What What Happens Live, revealing she was seven months pregnant at the time with son Dylan and worried about stress impacting her health.
The pair's relationship was tumultuous and they split in 1998 after having two sons together.
The couple got back together in 2008 but split for good in 2010.
