Pamela Anderson has revealed a terrifying case of mistaken identity with American country music trio The Chicks – perhaps their original fourth member.
Speaking on the Happy Sad Confused podcast, the former Baywatch actress and model recounted being attacked by a man who mistakenly believed she was a member of blonde girl group The Chicks—formerly known as the Dixie Chicks.
“I almost got killed on a plane. I was scared to fly after that, a little bit,” Anderson revealed. “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?’ And I was like, ‘Oh, my God. What have I done?’”
The situation quickly escalated as the man became increasingly angry, prompting a flight attendant to step in. “This stewardess had to handcuff him to the chair because he was trying to attack me,” Anderson continued. “Yeah. Ended up he thought I was a Dixie Chick. Remember that whole Dixie Chick thing?”
While Anderson chuckled while recalling the bizarre ordeal, it was no laughing matter at the time. She did not disclose when the incident occurred, but it likely took place during the fallout from The Chicks’ controversial 2003 remarks about then-President George W. Bush.
The backlash began after lead singer Natalie Maines told a London audience that the band was “ashamed” Bush hailed from Texas amid the Iraq War. The comment sparked outrage across the United States, leading to boycotts, plummeting album sales, and a nationwide firestorm that threatened the group’s career.
Although Maines later issued an apology for disrespecting the office of the President, she stood by her criticism of Bush. “I apologized for disrespecting the office,” she told Time magazine in 2006. “But I don’t feel that way anymore. I don’t feel he is owed any respect whatsoever.”
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The Chicks eventually reclaimed their narrative, chronicling the controversy in their 2006 documentary Shut Up and Sing.
In 2020, the trio dropped “Dixie” from their name, citing the term’s association with the Confederacy and the United States’ history of racism.
For Anderson, however, the legacy of the controversy came uncomfortably close—turning an ordinary flight into a brush with violence that she won’t soon forget.
Watch the full Happy Sad Confused interview here:
