What We Know About Pamela Anderson And Tommy Lee's Sons
Pamela Anderson and Tommy Lee made quite a stir in the late '90s by getting married only four days after they met. The couple went on to have two children together, Brandon Thomas Lee and Dylan Jagger Lee. "I had beautiful children with him ... My kids are grateful to be born out of true love," Pamela Anderson told People.
Now the story of Brandon Thomas and Dylan Jagger's parents has bubbled up to the brim of public consciousness yet again. The Hulu series "Pam & Tommy" explores all the drama of their stolen honeymoon sex tape, recapping a series of events that Anderson would rather not relive. When the couple eventually divorced, they settled on shared custody of their sons. Raised by a "Baywatch" star and a rockstar, the two boys undoubtedly had a unique childhood, even if Pamela Anderson went to great lengths to keep them out of the spotlight (like telling them every family dealt with paparazzi) so they could experience some semblance of normalcy.
Now, Brandon Thomas and Dylan Jagger are full-grown adults who are starting to carve their own paths in life. Here's everything we know about the two men who call the real Pam and Tommy their parents.
They attended a Canadian boarding school
While Brandon Thomas Lee and Dylan Jagger Lee spent their early childhood in Hollywood, their parents decided to send them to a boarding high school in Vancouver Island, Canada, where Pamela Anderson grew up. Brandon Thomas told Grazia Magazine, "I left for boarding school in Vancouver when I was 13 and coming from L.A., it was a complete culture shock." Their mother's hometown had more inclement weather than the sunny California beaches they were used to, and their classmates were no longer other famous offspring.
Initially, they were reluctant to the idea of being uprooted. "When I left, I was kicking and screaming. I hid from her for three hours before my plane ride," Dylan Jagger told Nylon. But ultimately, they're thankful for the experience, as Brandon pointed out in the Grazia interview. "At boarding school, everyone is the same ... You wear the same clothes, there is not a lot of separating you from the next person besides your personality. You get to appreciate different personalities and not just value the materialistic things you might have."
When they returned to their hometown of Hollywood after graduation, they realized just how much of a positive effect getting away from L.A. had on them. "We came back to see our friends in completely different situations than when we left them. L.A. can be amazing, but it can also be the worst," Dylan Jagger explained to Interview Magazine.
Brandon Thomas and Dylan Jagger bought a house together
Not only are Brandon Thomas Lee and Dylan Jagger Lee brothers, but they are also close friends and roommates. After all, when you've shared the unique exposure and bizarreness of having Pamela Anderson and Tommy Lee as your parents, a bond is sure to form. "The relationship with my brother is really important to me. I'm the older brother and I've always done everything first and made sure everything was ok," Brandon told Town & Country. In 2019, Interview Magazine revealed they shared a house. So what was it like in Brandon Thomas and Dylan Jagger's house? Well apparently, they disagreed on at least one thing: cleanliness. Dylan Jagger said he was "the clean one," explaining to Interview Magazine, "When you walk into my room, it's beautiful. I make the bed every morning!" Brandon added, "Dylan is always hassling me about not doing the dishes. He's f***ing crazy."
Despite being bros in every sense of the word, they do want to maintain separate identities as opposed to being lumped together all the time. "We want to go our separate ways ... we want to be known as Brandon and Dylan rather than 'the brothers,'" Dylan Jagger told Fashion Week Daily.
In March 2022, the two sold their Malibu digs for $3 million and upgraded to a $4 million pad in Encino.
Brandon Thomas had a public feud with his father
In 2018, Tommy Lee took to social media to accuse his son, Brandon Thomas Lee, of assaulting him. In a now-deleted post on Instagram (via ET), Lee posted a photo of his swollen lip with a caption that blamed his son for the injury. TMZ reported that Brandon had only defended himself, but Tommy Lee disagreed, writing on Twitter, "My fiancé and I were in bed when my son busted into the room and assaulted me. I asked him to leave the house and he knocked me unconscious."
People reported that the argument began over a tweet Lee had made about Brandon's mother, Pamela Anderson. In a statement with the outlet, Brandon Thomas claimed that his dad's drinking was to blame for the argument getting out of hand, saying, "I wanted my dad's hopeful sobriety and recovery to be a private family matter but, as a result of his accusations on social media, I feel forced to speak out." Tommy Lee was not happy about his son's claim and vehemently denied he was an alcoholic on Twitter.
Pamela Anderson chimed in on the social media feud in a statement on her website in a post titled, "Alcoholism is the Devil." Siding with her son, she wrote, "I pray Tommy gets the help he needs. His actions are desperate and humiliating. He is a disaster spinning out of control and he is not acting like a father."
If you or anyone you know is struggling with addiction issues, help is available. Visit the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration website or contact SAMHSA's National Helpline at 1-800-662-HELP (4357).
Both have dabbled in modeling
The eldest son of Pamela Anderson and Tommy Lee, Brandon Thomas Lee, is signed with major modeling agency Next Management, according to Grazia Magazine. He told the publication that he hadn't sought out a modeling career but accidentally ran into one. "I never really thought of myself as having the model look," he explained. But one day he tagged along with his mom to a professional meeting and caught the eye of an agent who pursued him.
Dylan Jagger Lee's journey to modeling followed a similar path. Like his brother, he didn't immediately consider it as a viable career option. "I was just a surfer kid who liked going to the beach in swim trunks — I didn't really have a fashion sense," he told Fashion Week Daily. Hedi Slimane, the creative director of Saint Laurent at the time, reached out to Dylan Jagger. According to his management agency, EWG, he's gone on to not only model for Saint Laurent, but has appeared as a model for Coach, Dolce & Gabbana, True Religion, among other major fashion houses and brands.
While the brothers have career aspirations outside of modeling, they both find the excitement and steady work of the fashion world beneficial. "Modeling is good for both of us because it's a good way to travel, make money, have fun, network, and meet new people," Dylan Jagger told Fashion Week Daily.
Brandon starred in The Hills: New Beginnings
Brandon Thomas Lee made his way into the reality television world when he appeared on the reboot of the popular early 2000s reality show, "The Hills: New Beginnings." He saw the series as a way to establish himself as an individual. He told Interview Magazine, "I've had a pretty crazy life, and I spent the majority of it hiding from the spotlight, trying to be a normal kid. I used to resent all of this. But I've come to a point in my life where I want to show people what I'm truly like."
His real passion is acting, so it may seem like an odd choice to come into the spotlight via a reality show. But Brandon Thomas didn't see it as a problem. "I think it's all in the work, you know? ... It's a different era. A lot of actors don't have this mystery around them anymore ... they share everything about their lives on social media. How is 'The Hills' any different? It's a big platform, and I'm serious about building my platform as me, not my parents' kid," he explained to Elle.
He's been building up his acting resume over the past few years with roles in several films, including "Blackjack: The Jackie Ryan Story" and "Cosmic Sin." He told W Magazine his career goal is "to make art, to make people think, and to do great work with great people."
Dylan Jagger is also a musician
Unlike his brother, who caught the acting bug, Dylan Jagger Lee is following in his father's footsteps and is actively pursuing a career in music. "As of right now I am working really hard to become a music producer/DJ. That is my dream and I want it to become a reality. I work everyday on my music and I hope that soon I can make it happen!" he told W Magazine in 2017.
Since then, he has formed two bands. In 2021, he parted ways with his first project, Midnight Kids and shifted his focus to making music with Anton Khabbaz in their duo called Motel 7. His music can be described as laid-back SoCal pop, a far cry from his dad's band, Mötley Crüe. In fact, he didn't even clue Tommy Lee in on his music-making chops for a long time. In 2021, Dylan Jagger told WWD, "He didn't even know I was in a band until four days ago ... I didn't tell my parents or anything, I try to keep them as far out of it as possible."
Dylan Jagger plans to be making music in Motel 7 for a while. In a 2021 Q&A with Ones To Watch, he said, "It just feels like we're forever growing and I feel like Motel 7 isn't going anywhere anytime soon, so people should just keep an eye out."
Brandon Thomas is sober
It's easy to get caught up in the whirlwind of partying, drugs, and alcohol in Hollywood, especially when you're young and the son of celebrity parents. Brandon Thomas Lee fell into this trap pretty quickly. "It was really fun for a while then it goes from fun to, 'oh s***, what's happening?'" he told News Corp Australia.
It didn't take long for Brandon Thomas to realize that he wasn't happy with his life as a full time partier and that alcohol was getting in the way of his ambitions. He further explained to the Australian media outlet, "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 ... And I'm such an ambitious person. Usually, when anything gets in the way of my goals I just remove them from my life." He decided to make a commitment to sobriety.
Years later, sobriety has made him happier than ever. In 2019, he revealed to Interview Magazine, "Being sober is the best thing that's ever happened to me. Three years ago, I was in one of the darkest spots of my entire life. ... 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. ... my career has become so important to me that partying isn't worth it anymore."
If you or anyone you know is struggling with addiction issues, help is available. Visit the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration website or contact SAMHSA's National Helpline at 1-800-662-HELP (4357).
Brandon Thomas has a golf clothing line
While Dylan Jagger Lee is an avid surfer, golf is Brandon Thomas Lee's hobby of choice. So much so that he decided to turn his love of golf into a side business: a clothing line called Swinger's Club. The line is a collaboration with Los Angeles brand Local Authority, a Malibu-based company that has attracted quite a following among the rich and famous, according to WWD.
When Brandon Thomas launched the line, he wrote on Instagram, "It's been a lot of hard work and even more fun to bring you Swingers Club x Local Authority. I can't tell you what an honor it is to work with like minded people to bring a product that I truly believe in to life. Golf is a huge part of my life and so is fashion. Up until this point it's been a dream of mine to create a brand that reflects my sense of style combined with a lifestyle I love and enjoy."
In November 2021, Brandon Thomas threw a launch party for the brand complete with mini golf, tequila, and a celebrity guest list, People reported. The event briefly reunited his parents, Pamela Anderson and Tommy Lee. The iconic former couple even posed for a photo together with their son for the first time in a long time.
Who have Dylan Jagger and Brandon Thomas dated?
"One of the things I love about my mom is that she's a hopeless romantic," Brandon Thomas Lee told Elle. "I swear, I'm a hopeless romantic, too," he added. When it comes to Brandon Lee's romantic life, he has been linked to several other young Hollywood luminaries.
Brandon has previously dated actor Bella Thorne, "Big Little Lies" star Kathryn Newton, and reportedly model/influencer Ashley Sky, who he supposedly dated while shooting "The Hills." By the time the reality show reboot aired, the couple had split, and he wasn't thrilled about reliving their moments together. "It's definitely hard to go through a relationship that is actually great and then for things to happen, and then to have to watch the good parts of a relationship that is over back is just weird," he told ET Canada. As of February 2022, Brandon Thomas is dating Australian model and influencer, Lily Easton.
Pamela Anderson gave her other son this simple advice: "Love will find you, rather than you searching for it," Dylan Jagger Lee told W Magazine. His love life has been kept more private, but with a bit of Instagram investigation, he seems to be dating Paula Bruss, an architectural designer, according to her profile. On Dylan Jagger's birthday in late December 2021, she posted on Instagram a collection of photos of him, captioned, "My soulmate for all my lives to come. I love you happy birthday."
What is their net worth?
Brandon Thomas Lee and Dylan Jagger Lee may be the children of celebrities, but they want the world to know that they are not financially dependent on their parents. Brandon Thomas told Interview Magazine, "There are a lot of misconceptions about the way we were raised — that we're spoiled, or that we were given everything. But our friends can back this up: Dylan and I haven't taken a dollar from our parents since we were in high school. We've been working our a**es off to buy a house, buy a car, and pay for music equipment and acting lessons. It feels better to do it ourselves." Brandon Thomas has even worked in a smoothie shop to make his own wages.
Though it's arguably easier to establish oneself in the entertainment business and make a career in show business if you're born into it, Brandon Thomas insists that isn't the case. "It honestly is harder sometimes when your parents have a big name because of the stigma that comes with that," he told Town & Country. Whether or not that's true, it's undeniable that the Lee boys have worked to carve their own paths without references to "Baywatch" or Mötley Crüe. Their work has paid off. While it's unclear how much Dylan Jagger has made doing his own thing, Brandon Thomas is reportedly worth $1 million, according to Celebrity Net Worth.