After Pee-wee's Success, Paul Reubens Returned to the Closet

Documentarian Matt Wolf amassed some 40-hours of interviews with Reubens for "Pee-wee as Himself," his doc that will air on HBO. It premiered at the Sundance Film Festival on January 23. Reubens died of cancer in 2023 at the age of 70.

Page Six writes that Reubens told documentary Wolf he was "secretive about [his] sexuality even to [his] friends." 

"[It was] self-hatred or self-preservation," Reubens said. "I was conflicted about sexuality. But fame was way more complicated."

Pee-wee Herman is one of the most identifiable pop culture figures from the Reagan years and quickly became a gay icon. In his signature gray glen plaid suit and red bowtie, Reubens gave Pee-wee a child-like innocence marked with a vicious streak – he was the epitome of the bratty little kid. He introduced the character in the late 1970s when Reubens was a member of the LA comedy troupe The Groundlings and played him on three episodes of "The Dating Game" in 1979. After finessing the character further – removing any hint of sexuality from his demeanor – he played Pee-wee in a hit stage production in Los Angeles that was filmed by HBO in 1981. 

Appearances with David Letterman led to a national tour of his stage show and a film, "Pee-wee's Big Adventure," which marked Tim Burton's debut as a director. "Pee-wee's Playhouse," a Saturday morning kids program on CBS followed, winning some 15 Emmy Awards over its five year run. In 1988 Reubens starred in "Big Top Pee-wee,: a sequel to "Pee-wee's Big Adventure." Also in 1988, Pee-wee Herman (not Paul Reubens) was awarded a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

In 1991 Reubens was arrested in Sarasota, Florida, for masturbating publicly in an adult theater. His famous mugshot, in which he has long-hair and a goatee, led to him being compared to Charlie Manson. His already canceled CBS series was taken off the air and he lost numerous celebrity endorsements. Over the decade Reubens toyed with the idea of bringing Pee-wee back in a third film, but didn't return to portraying the character until 2007 after Adult Swim began airing "Pee-wee Playhouse." He starred in "Pee-wee Herman Stage Show: The Return," first in Los Angeles, then on Broadway. He went on to make a film for Netflix, "Pee-wee's Big Holiday" in 2016. It would be last time Reubens played the character.

"Despite never having come out of the closet while he was alive, he had a boyfriend named Guy before his Hollywood career skyrocketed," writes Page Six.

"When Reubens' Pee-wee Herman character started gaining traction, he decided to keep his sexual orientation private."

In his interviews with Wolf, Reubens said: ""[It was] self-hatred or self-preservation. It was conflicted about sexuality. But fame was way more complicated."

"I was out of the closet, and then I went back in the closet," he said in the doc. "I wasn't pursuing the Paul Reubens career, I was pursuing the Pee-wee Herman career."

Reubens recalled visiting Guy in the hospital when he was dying of AIDS.

"To talk about seeing someone at death's door. He probably died a couple hours after that," Reubens shared.

He said Guy inspired Pee-wee's trademark line, "Mmmm! Chocolatey!"

In the doc Reubens admitted that he had "many, many secret relationships" but that his career always came before his love life.

He added gthat "hid behind an alter-ego" and shared that he never told anyone that he was a "huge weed head" or that he was gay.