This Is How Pamela Anderson Lost Her Money

Back in 2005, Pamela Anderson was crowned the "most powerful Canadian in Hollywood," according to CBC, thanks to her impressive salary (she was reportedly earning $300,000 per TV episode) and various other income streams, including a book deal, advice column for Canada's Elle magazine, and a headline-making commercial. Indeed, since getting her big break on "Baywatch" in the 1990s, the Canadian-born beauty has amassed 56 acting credits to date, per IMDb, and will forever be seen as a sex icon (thanks in part to her long-lasting relationship with Playboy and that infamous tape with Tommy Lee), as well as the "ultimate beauty icon."

Her life hasn't been without struggle, however. Anderson's first marriage to Tommy Lee was a tumultuous one and her love life hasn't been much better since. A scene from "Borat" reportedly ended her marriage to Kid Rock, per CBS News, and she was forced to file a restraining order against third husband Rick Salomon as their divorce became heated and he called her a "serial baby killer," per Us Weekly. More recently, when she secretly married her bodyguard in 2020, there was plenty of drama that came with that announcement. Her tragic real-life story goes beyond bad romance, though, and includes a huge loss of her net worth. Here's how Pamela Anderson reportedly lost her money.

Pamela Anderson purchased a fixer-upper at 23445 Malibu Colony Road in 2008 for just $1.8 million, per CBC, and hired architect Philip Vertoch and interior designer Josh Chryssanthou to turn things around. Unfortunately, remodeling the 2,752-square-foot home and opting for lavish touches, such as gold pool tiles, was something she simply couldn't afford. As People reported in 2009, Anderson was hit with liens from five construction companies after she failed to pay their bills, including a $674,043 invoice for "labor and materials" to remodel the house, build a swimming pool, and "construct foundations for [a] guest house." As Investopedia explains, a lien is "a claim or legal right against assets that are typically used as collateral to satisfy a debt."

The following year, the "Baywatch" star reportedly moved into a "one-bedroom mobile home on a run-down trailer park," per Mirror, but assured the outlet she was "happy" living in the "special community" with her two sons. Meanwhile, she tried to rent the Malibu mansion on VRBO in 2011 (for $75K a month) and 2012 (for $50K a month), per Variety. It's unclear if she succeeded, but she later listed it for sale at $7.75 million in 2013. Sadly, there were no takers and she again tried to rent the home in 2017 for $50K a month, per Realtor. Relief came in August 2021 when she finally sold the property for $11.8 million, per TMZ, and permanently moved into her Vancouver, Canada home.

Pamela Anderson has a lengthy relationship with the IRS and it's not a good one. In 2009, People reported that she owed $252,360.39 in back taxes and penalties to California, which she was supposed to pay for the 2007 tax year. Jump to 2010 and ABC learned that she then owed California $493,144 in unpaid income taxes. She was also hit with a lien for a whopping $1.7 million, per TMZ, landing her on California's list of "Top 500 Delinquent Taxpayers." By 2012, TMZ was reporting that she still owed money to the tax authorities, this time for the 2011 tax year, which totaled over $371K. According to the outlet, the IRS was hunting Anderson for $259,395.75 in unpaid taxes, while California was waiting on $112,118.90. The blonde bombshell's tax woes also crossed over into her native Canada. In 2013, she reportedly owed $31,000 in property taxes for her Ladysmith home, per Times Colonist.

Anderson set the record straight with The Sun (via Express) in 2013, saying, "I still owe the taxes but I'm working on that. I'm paying that off monthly," she explained, adding that, while she didn't "want to blame anyone," the issues were caused by a "bizarre situation with a former business manager." It's unclear how much debt Anderson now has, but producer Jon Peters said in 2020 that he paid off "almost $200,000 in bills" during their 12-day marriage, leaving her with a net worth of $20 million.