Paul Reubens was finally able to come out of the shadow of his character Pee-wee Herman thanks to an eye opening documentary about the both of them.
“Pee-wee as Himself” aired as a pair of feature length documentaries, telling the life of Paul Reubens in two parts.
Check out what viewers learned below.
Loud & Proud, In Reverse
Unfortunately, the biggest news involved Reubens’ sexuality and that was spoiled earlier in 2025. Two years after Reubens’ passed, the documentary was announced – premiering at the Sundance Film Festival in Salt Lake City.
The interviews between the comedian and director Matt Wolf took 40 hours. Early in part one, Reubens discusses his move to Los Angeles in the 70’s where he lived with a man named Guy. The relationship informed a lot of Reubens’ comedy – needless to say, the two were in love.
Reubens was very out of the closet. He even told his family, including his very macho father who would end up writing him a letter of support.
After his split with Guyt, Reubens chose his career over his love life and decided to hide his sexuality.
Life Changing Arrests
The first of two arrests relating to the same crime (one in 1991 and the other in 2002) made the actor take note. Reubens didn’t take too kindly to what people were saying about him nor did he appreciate the contrast of how he was perceived before as Pee-wee Herman.
The second arrest nearly had him labeled as a pedophile, which almost broke the man.
After his death, Reubens’ assistant sent director Wolf a voice message the actor left telling him how horrible it made him feel to be labeled as a pedophile.
“More than anything, the reason I wanted to make a documentary was to let people see who I really am,” Reubens said. He added that everything he did in his career came from love.
Hiding More
Finally, Reubens didn’t let Wolf know about his lung cancer battle, something he’d been dealing with for six years. Reubens was apparently ready to move on. He was accepting about how easily death can come.
The actor died a week before their final interview.
More on Reubens and His Career
Entertainment Now provided other details about Paul Reubens’s career.
Find out everything you need to know about his family.
Dive into his net worth at the time of his death.
Dig into his private relationship status.
Find out what the casts of “Pee-wee’s Big Adventure” and “Pee-wee’s Playhouse” are up to.
And be sure to check out his career began as well as where Pee-wee Herman came from.
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What We Learned About Paul Reubens From the Pee-wee Herman Documentary