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  This year’s Emmy nominations were announced on Tuesday, with Succession, Ted Lassoand The White Lotus guiding.

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  Hulu’s divisive miniseries, Pam and Tommyit also received 10 nominations across the board — with four in the ceremony’s top categories.


  The series is an Outstanding Limited or Anthology Series contender, and its leads — Sebastian Stan and Lily James — are nominated for Outstanding Lead Actress and Actor for their respective roles as Tommy Lee and Pamela Anderson.


  Additionally, Seth Rogen has been nominated for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Limited or Anthology Series category.


  Despite success and acclaim from fans and critics, Pam and Tommy has been mired in controversy after it was reported that Pamela felt “violated” by the unauthorized replay of her exploit.

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  The eight-part series revisited the non-consensual distribution of Pamela and Tommy’s stolen sex tape in the 1990s and was made without the approval of the actual people involved in the historic crime.


  Courtney Love was among Pamela’s friends to speak out against the show, revealing it had unearthed “complex trauma” for her Baywatch actor.  A source said Pamela felt “violated to this day” by the sex tape.


  Another told Entertainment Tonight: “The upcoming Pam and Tommy The Hulu series was very painful for Pamela Anderson and everyone who loves her.  It’s shocking that this series is allowed to happen without her approval.”

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  As a result, people were understandably outraged by the stark irony that Hulu didn’t get Pamela’s consent before rehashing her non-consensual sex tape story.


  The show was seen as a sign of “history repeating itself” and its creators were called out for seemingly trying to “cash in” on exploiting Pamela and Tommy for a second time.


  As it aired, Pamela’s lack of approval left a sour taste in viewers’ mouths Pam and Tommy it is ultimately praised for highlighting the misogyny Pamela faced as a result of the leak.

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  Series executive producer DV DeVincentis told Variety, “With Pamela Anderson, what I always come back to is that [she and Tommy] they did exactly the same thing.  And he was filmed doing the exact same thing together.”


  “One of them was shamed and basically shut out of the business and turned into a non-serious person,” DeVincentis said of Pamela’s experience.  “The other guy got a new act and turned into this sex god.  And the only difference between these two people [was] their gender.  This is.”


  Pamela hasn’t spoken out about the show, but she appeared to confirm she wasn’t on board with the concept when she shared a brief statement on her Instagram page in March, just before the show’s penultimate episode. Pam and Tommy aired.

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  In the post, Pamela announced that she was working with Netflix to make a documentary about her life, which she vowed would tell her “real story.”

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  In a handwritten note, Pamela told fans: “My life.  A thousand imperfections.  A million misconceptions.  Bad, wild and lost.  Nothing to live for.  I can only surprise you.  Not a victim, but a survivor.  And alive to tell the real story.”


  Although no release date has yet been announced, Pamela’s documentary is expected to hit the streaming giant before the end of the year.

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  Fans took Pamela’s statement as proof she didn’t approve Pam and Tommy either way, so they were confused when they noticed that Sebastian Stan had tagged her in an Instagram post about the Emmy series hit on Tuesday.

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  Sebastian wrote a lengthy statement on his social media page, which began: “So grateful and excited to be a part of this EPIC PAM AND TOMMY recognition!!!”


  He then thanked the show’s host, directors, hair and make-up team and clients before giving a shout-out to his co-star Lily James.  “My partner to the end of the line,” he said of Lily.  “I was blessed to be across from you, I couldn’t, I wouldn’t have done it without you!  Thank you for holding my hand on this journey!”.


  And the latter part of Sebastian’s statement sparked backlash from readers, with the actor writing: ‘#PAMANDTOMMY is about a crime that took place without Consent.  It was a crime on privacy, a crime on love, a crime on family and a crime that we were ALL guilty of, the media and the public together, and now it’s more relevant than ever.”


  “I hope this can only help further the conversation we were hoping to bring to light,” Sebastian continued.  “And that we can remember to re-examine our views and disrespectful attitudes not only towards @pamelaanderson and @tommylee but also towards ourselves and our exploitation of each other.  See you at the Emmys!!!”


  A screenshot of the post was shared on a Reddit forum, and the actor’s decision to tag Pamela in the post quickly came under fire – as did his comment that everyone was “guilty” of the original crime.


  “It’s funny how my ‘rock attitude’ didn’t get me the lead in a series that further exploits Pam, who specifically stated she wasn’t for this production.  Ton of deaf stupid asshole,” wrote one person.


  “He also singled out Pamela Anderson who is reportedly reliving this trauma,” another added.  “Also, mind you, this show introduced a whole new generation of people to seek out this sex film.  So, in short, they are complicit.  This is their contribution to the discussion.”


  “She has a lot to say about consent, which Pamela didn’t give on this show,” mused another.  Another commented: “Poor Pamela.  He actually tagged her.  Wtf.” One person responded: “Actually, that was a really bad thing you did.”


  Others referred to the fact that Sebastian admitted to watching Pamela and Tommy’s sex tape as “research” during an appearance on a British daytime show. This morning.

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  Presenter Josie Gibson asked Sebastian and Lily if they had seen the tape themselves, to which Sebastian said: “Well, it was research.  I think the job as an actor is to find as much as you can in the people you play.”


  “And watch the tape for ‘investigation’ but sure Seb, tell yourself we’re all to blame,” one Reddit user said of his Instagram post.  Another wrote: “Knowing he watched the tape for ‘research purposes’ when one of the victims finds it traumatizing, it’s disgusting coming from him.”


  “No I’m not [a culprit]said another.  “I didn’t steal the tape.  I have never watched the tape.  And I certainly never did a show about the tape to be nominated for an Emmy.”


  “My god he’s talking about consent while celebrating a nomination for a show that was done without the victim’s consent and the scary part is he thinks he’s actually doing something great!!  Disturbing,” echoed another user.


  Sebastian has yet to respond to the backlash and BuzzFeed News has reached out to his representative for comment.


  Pamela has not acknowledged Sebastian’s post or Pam & Tommy’s Emmy nominations.

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