Safe that held Tommy Lee and Pamela Anderson’s stolen sex tape sells at auction
The safe that was famously stolen from Tommy Lee and Pamela Anderson, which once held their sex tape, has sold at auction for $2,500.
In 1995, a 54-minute home video, which contained eight minutes of Anderson and Lee engaging in intercourse, was stolen from the couple’s Malibu home by electrician Rand Gauthier, who sought revenge after Lee refused to pay him the $20,000 he owed for a renovation job.
He stole the safe overnight. Inside were guns, jewelry, an assortment of other personal items, and the tape. The culprit made copies of the tape and set up websites where interested buyers could purchase a VHS of the footage.
Now, the stolen safe has featured in Julien’s Auctions’ ‘Played, Worn & Torn’ event, with proceeds from items sold going towards charities including MusiCares, Teenage Cancer America, Gibson Gives, and St. Jude’s.
Lee handwrote a message on the safe, which read “This is the unsafe that ruined my life!”. It was estimated to sell for $4,000 – $6,000; however, it was snagged for only $2,560.
A Hulu series recounted the love story of Anderson and Lee and included a depiction of the traumatic incident. However, the series was made without Anderson’s consent and focused on the former couple’s turbulent relationship. Anderson felt that Lily James and Sebastian Stan’s representation of her and Lee felt like “Halloween costumes.”
The sex tape has been subsumed into the current cultural lexicon. New Zealand pop star recently sang about it on her latest album, Virgin. Speaking about the sex tape, she shared: “I found it so beautiful. And maybe it’s fucked up that I watched it, but I saw two people that were so in love with each other, and there was this purity.”
Lorde added, “They were jumping off this big boat.… They were like children. They were so free. And I just was like, ‘Whoa. Being this free comes with danger.’”
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