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Page Six
24 Jan 2025


NextImg:‘Pee-wee Herman’ star Paul Reubens comes out as gay in posthumous documentary: ‘I was secretive about my sexuality’ 
Paul Reubens, seen here in 2016, came out as gay in his emotional posthumous documentary. Alli Harvey

Late actor Paul Reubens, known for portraying the character Pee-wee Herman, came out as gay in his posthumous HBO documentary.

The two-part HBO special, which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival Thursday night, features Reubens’ final interviews before he died of cancer in July 2023 at age 70.

Sitting down with director Matt Wolf for 40 hours worth of interviews, Reubens revealed that he was “secretive about [his] sexuality even to [his] friends.”

The comedian, seen here in 2014, came out while being interviewed by the film’s director Matt Wolf. Jamie McCarthy/NBC
He was known for his character, Pee-wee Herman. ©Paramount/Courtesy Everett Collection

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

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

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

Reubens, seen here in 2016, died last July after a secret battle with cancer. Getty Images
“[It was] self-hatred or self-preservation,” he said in the doc of staying in the closet. Michael Ochs Archives

“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.”

The “Pee-wee’s Big Holiday” star 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.

Reubens, seen here in 2010, admitted to hiding behind his alter-ego. Getty Images
The actor, seen here in 2011, had a boyfriend before finding success in Hollywood. Getty Images

The actor drew inspiration from Guy, like when he would say, “Mmmm! Buttery!” in a Yoda-like tone.

“You can see where that led me,” Reubens said, referring to Pee-wee’s famous one-liner, “Mmmm! Chocolatey!”

Reubens admitted that he had “many, many secret relationships” but that his career always came before his love life.

The improv star “hid behind an alter-ego” and shared that he never told anyone that he was a “huge weed head” or that he was gay.

Reubens said he was “out of the closet” and then “went back in the closet.” Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images
He was also secretly a “huge weed head.” WireImage

Reubens was often spotted looking cozy with actress Debi Mazar, who asserted in the doc that he was truly her boyfriend.

“I know people will say, ‘He was gay!’ So what?” Mazer said.

The pressures of concealing Reubens’ true self resulted in a scandal that unraveled his entire career.

In 1991, he was arrested at an adult movie theater and charged with indecent exposure — to which he pleaded no contest.

“I kept who I was a secret for a very long time,” Reubens said. “That really backfired when I got arrested. People had never seen a photo of me other than Pee-wee Herman. And all of a sudden, I had a Charlie Manson mugshot.”

Reubens was arrested and charged with indecent exposure at an adult movie theater in 1991. Getty Images
Years later, he was arrested and charged with possessing images believed to be child pornography. Getty Images

“I lost control of my anonymity. It was devastating.”

To mitigate the backlash, his crisis PR team staged a paparazzi photo of Reubens on a date with a woman at a Los Angeles restaurant. He also appeared as Pee-wee at the 1991 MTV Music Awards and was a guest on “Late Night with Conan O’Brien” and “The Tonight Show with Jay Leno.” 

Still, the damage was done and Reubens said he never fully recovered from the incident.

“It’s shocking what horrible, awful stuff people think about me,” Reubens said. “It’s still a significant footnote… 30 years later I still feel the effects all the time.”

His crisis PR team staged a date with a woman to help fix his image. ©Paramount/Courtesy Everett Collection
Debi Mazer claims Reubens, seen here in 1985, was her boyfriend in the doc. ©Warner Bros/Courtesy Everett Collection

Nearly a decade after his first arrest, Reubens made headlines again when his home was raided and he was charged with possessing images that were believed to be child pornography.

Reubens, an avid collector of rare memorabilia, argued that the photos were “vintage erotica” that even existed in college libraries. The charges were eventually dropped in 2004 and he pleaded guilty to a lesser obscenity charge.

Mazer, as well as David Arquette and his then-wife Courteney Cox, all stood by Reubens’ side throughout the fallout.

Reubens, seen here in 1985, had somewhat of a comeback despite the scandals. Warner Bros/Courtesy Everett Collection
The improv star, seen here in 1980, wanted to make the documentary to address his struggles. Michael Ochs Archives

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He eventually had a small comeback, starring in “The Pee-wee Herman Show” on Broadway in 2010 and making the 2016 film “Pee-wee’s Big Holiday,” among other smaller acting and voice roles.

Reubens wanted to make the documentary so he could share the truth about his legacy.

“More than anything, the reason I wanted to make a documentary was for people to see who I really am, and how painful and dreadful it was to be labeled something I wasn’t,” he said. “To be labeled a pariah; to have people be scared of you, or untrusting.”

Reubens, seen here in 1985, recorded a final audio message for the documentary before he died. ©Warner Bros/Courtesy Everett Collection
“My whole career, everything I did and wrote, was based in love,” he said in his final message. Michael Ochs Archives

While the intention was to tell his whole story, text messages show that Reubens stopped replying to Wolf and other movie staffers when he was asked about the obscenity.

He never sat for another interview, but as his health started waning, Reubens decided to send a final audio message to the director – never revealing that he was dying of cancer.

“My whole career, everything I did and wrote, was based in love,” he said in his final note.