Pamela Anderson ‘almost got killed’ after being mistaken for a Dixie Chick

'Oh, my God. What have I done?'

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Published Jan 10, 2025  •  Last updated 7 minutes ago  •  3 minute read

Pamela Anderson visits the SiriusXM Studios on Jan. 8, 2025 in New York City. Photo by Cindy Ord /Getty Images

Pamela Anderson narrowly escaped being attacked after a passenger on a flight she was on mistook her for one of the Dixie Chicks (now known as The Chicks).

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During an interview on the Happy Sad Confused podcast, the Baywatch alum was asked if she has ever been mistaken for another celebrity when she recounted a scary encounter she had on a plane when a fellow passenger thought she was one of the members of the country music trio.

“This one time, I was on a flight and this guy came up to me and said, ‘Do you know what this country’s done for you?’” Anderson, 57, said. “And I was like, ‘Oh, my God. What have I done?’ I was like, ‘Oh god.’ I looked back and he was (angry).” 

Anderson, who was recently nominated for a Golden Globe for her starring role in The Last Showgirl, said the irate passenger wouldn’t leave her alone, to the point where he had to be restrained.

“Then this stewardess had to handcuff him to the chair because he was trying to attack me,” she recalled.

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Eventually, she learned it was a case of mistaken identity.

“Yeah. Ended up he thought I was a Dixie Chick. Remember that whole Dixie Chick thing?” Anderson asked. “I almost got killed on a plane.”

Pamela Anderson arrives for the 82nd annual Golden Globe Awards at the Beverly Hilton hotel on Jan. 5, 2025. Photo by ETIENNE LAURENT /AFP via Getty Images

Back in 2003, singer Natalie Maines and her bandmates became ostracized by country music fans after comments she made about then-President George W. Bush during a concert in London.

“Just so you know, we’re on the good side with y’all,” Maines said onstage just days before the U.S. invaded Iraq. “We do not want this war, this violence, and we’re ashamed that the president of the United States is from Texas.”

In this Oct. 18, 2007 file photo, Emily Robison, left, and Martie Maguire, right, adjust Natalie Maines’ hair as the Dixie Chicks perform at the Nokia Theatre in Los Angeles. Photo by Gus Ruelas /Supplied

After The Guardian printed the comment, the trio was abandoned by many of their American fans, with radio stations also refusing to play their music.

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Bush waded into the fray, telling news anchor Tom Brokaw the group “shouldn’t have their feelings hurt just because some people don’t want to buy their records when they speak out.”

“I don’t really care what the Dixie Chicks said,” Bush said in April 2003. “I want to do what I think is right for the American people, and if some singers or Hollywood stars feel like speaking out, that’s fine. That’s the great thing about America.”

Two days after Maines’ remarks made headlines, she expressed regret over her comments. But on the 20th anniversary of the statement that redefined her band’s career, the frontwoman walked back her apology.

“It set us free,” Maines told the Los Angeles Times, reflecting on her statements. “It got us out of this box of country music, which we never wanted to be in and never felt like that’s who we were.”

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She added, “We didn’t have to do any of that bulls*** anymore. It wasn’t like, ‘Oh, country music, please take us back.’ It was middle fingers: ‘Bye!’” 

Anderson didn’t say when the case of mistaken identity took place, or which band member the displeased flyer thought she was, but the altercation left her rattled for quite some time.

“I was scared to fly after that for a little bit,” she admitted.

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