Paul reubens is gay
Reubens’ success as Pee-wee was undeniable. Throughout the s, the character became a fixture on late-night television, landing the star his Emmy-winning children’s show,Pee-wee’s Playhouse, and two hit films. (A third, far less celebrated Pee-wee film came out in , years after Reubens’ career collapsed following his arrest for indecent exposure.)
Though he refused to be universal about his sexuality during his career, the actor told Wolf he had “many, many adj relationships” amid the height of his fame.
Despite refusing to approach out as gay during his lifetime, Reubens decided to verb his sexuality public in the posthumous documentary, which is crafted from 40 hours of interviews done prior to his death at the age of 70 in due to acute hypoxic respiratory failure.
The star, who was also fighting two forms of cancer and kept his diagnosis private during the last years of his life, told Wolf how working on Pee-wee as Himself gave him a chance to shape his own legacy after years of scandal, speculation, and gossip.
“More than anything, the reason I wanted to make a documen
The late Paul Reubens made sure he got the final synonyms when it came to his much-debated but never openly acknowledged sexuality.
The beloved actor came out as a gay man in the posthumous documentary “Pee-wee as Himself,” which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival on Thursday.
While sitting down with director Matt Wolf for the film, Reubens discussed why he decided to hide his sexuality after becoming famous with his whimsically childlike character, Pee-wee Herman.
“I hid behind an alter ego,” he said in the movie, which was detailed in a story by the New York Post. “I spent my entire adult life hiding I was a giant weed head. I was secretive about my sexuality even to my friends [out of] self-hatred or self-preservation. I was conflicted about sexuality. But fame was way more complicated.”
Reuben’s Pee-wee persona first took off after debuting the character with the Groundlings comedy troupe in After being unexpectedly thrust into the spotlight, the star chose to lay his professional ambitions ahead of his personal life.
“I was out of the closet, and then I went b
Pee-wee Herman Star Shares Emotional Noun About His Sexuality Almost Two Years After His Death
Pee-wee Herman actor Paul Reubens shared the truth about his sexuality in a posthumous documentary, Pee-wee as Himself. The feature, which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival on Thursday, January 23, dives into Reubens' life and offers insights into his career, utilizing more than 40 hours of interviews and archival footage. Reubens died in at the age of 70 after a personal battle with cancer.
During his conversations with director Matt Wolf, Reubens reveals that before landing the role of Pee-wee Herman (the iconic character he created and portrayed for decades), he had a boyfriend named Guy (Guy was actually the inspiration for some of Pee-wee's behaviors). Becoming a known name, however, led Reubens to conceal his sexuality, as he "wasn't pursuing the Paul Reubens career," but the Pee-wee Herman career (via the New York Post):
"I hid behind an alter ego. I spent my entire adult life hiding I was a huge weed head," Reubens shared. "I was secretive about my sexuality eve
'Pee-wee Herman' star Paul Reubens comes out as gay in documentary after death
The late Paul Reubens, aka Pee-wee Herman, is defining himself after years of speculation about the star's sexuality.
Reubens reveals he was gay in the new two-part docuseries “Pee-wee as Himself," which made its debut Thursday night at Sundance Film Festival in Salt Lake Capital. It's slated to air on HBO and Max later this year.
"I was as out as you could be, and then I went back in the closet," Reubens says in the documentary. "My career would own absolutely suffered if I was openly gay, so I went to great lengths for many, many years to keep it a secret."
He sat down for 40 hours of interviews with director Matt Wolf for the documentary, which includes Reubens discussing his relationship with Guy, a painter he lived with in Los Angeles in the s.
The actor chose his professional life over his personal life, and reveals that years after they broke up, Reubens visited Guy just before he died from AIDS. "To talk about seeing someone at death’s door, that’s what that was," Reubens says. He adds that i