Why Pamela Anderson Said She Wanted Her Kids To Experiment With Drugs — Before Son’s Addiction Issues
Not everyone will agree.
DFree | Shutterstock | Instagram In a blog post from 2015, Pamela Anderson candidly wrote about how she wants her kids to have the freedom to experiment with drugs.
Anderson, who shares sons Brandon Thomas Lee, 26, and Dylan Jagger Lee, 24, with ex-husband Tommy Lee, wrote in a "diary" entry titled "Intuitive Parenting" that she wants her sons to "learn to eat right," "honor their instincts," and "never bully."
However, one specific lesson she hoped her sons stirred quite the controversy.
Pamela Anderson said she wanted her sons to experiment with drugs.
The actress hoped her children would learn self-discipline by allowing them to "drink and experiment with drugs in moderation."
While such a choice would usually be met with bewilderment, Anderson claimed to have a lot of faith in her children.
“I really believe in my kids. My kids have had a great foundation, they have seen the world,” Anderson explained in an interview with FOX about her parenting. “They’ve made great choices. They are really smart people, I am not afraid of my kids surfing the Internet."
"I think they are making proper decisions and you can’t be in denial of what life has to offer. I don’t know how much of a role model their parents are, but we’ve had a lot of fun.”
However, Anderson's eldest son, Brandon, dealt with addiction, opening up about it three years after his mother's blog post.
Brandon Lee Thomas is sober after struggling with addiction issues.
In an interview with News Corp in 2019, Brandon, then-23, revealed that he was sober and said his partying lifestyle left him feeling miserable and aided in him not making the best decisions.
"I wasn't making the best decisions, I wanted to work so bad, and all of these things were getting in my head and stopping me from my goals," he said.
In a joint interview with his brother, Dylan Jagger Lee, Brandon spoke more about his addiction to alcohol.
"Three years ago, I was in one of the darkest spots of my entire life. I didn't want to leave my apartment. I couldn't do anything," he told Interview.
"[But] ever since I got sober, I just feel like everything's gotten better for me. I've become a better actor. I've become a better worker. I've become a better person."
Brandon's father, Tommy Lee, also struggled with alcohol addiction and explained his history of being "on and off" substance dependence "for a long time," while speaking to Yahoo Entertainment.
Talking about the height of his drinking, Lee said: "I would just wake up and be just building [a glass with] just all vodka and just a little eyedropper of cranberry or lemonade. I was drinking two gallons – not pints, not quarts, but gallons, the big-handles – a day."
Lee continued, saying he had checked into a rehab facility, and as of 2020, has been sober for a year.
It was also Lee who admitted to paying for his son's rehab in 2018 while the two were publicly feuding after Brandon knocked his father unconscious in a brawl that was sparked after Lee disparaged Anderson on Twitter for bringing up Lee’s past domestic violence against her in an interview.
"Rehab for son: $130,000, Party for son’s 21st birthday last year: $40,000,” Lee wrote.
Nia Tipton is a writer living in Brooklyn. She covers pop culture, social justice issues, and trending topics. Keep up with her on Instagram and Twitter.