Paul Reubens

File:Paul Reubens HS Yearbook.jpeg

Reubens was born Paul Rubenfeld in Peekskill, New York, on August 27, 1952,{{cite web| url=http://www.filmreference.com/film/57/Paul-Reubens.html| title=Paul Reubens Biography (1952–)| publisher=Film Reference| access-date=October 30, 2014}}{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=7GN0E_diWbAC&pg=PA213|title=From Abba to Zoom: A Pop Culture Encyclopedia of the Late 20th Century|last=Mansour|first=David|year= 2011|publisher=Andrews McMeel Publishing|isbn=978-0740793073|page=213}} and grew up in a Jewish family in Sarasota, Florida, where his parents, Judy (née Rosen) and Milton Rubenfeld, owned a lamp store. His mother was a teacher. His father was an automobile salesperson who had flown for Britain's Royal Air Force and for the U.S. Army Air Forces in World War II, and later became one of the founding pilots of the Israeli Air Force during the 1948 Arab–Israeli War. An Orthodox Jew, he was one of five Jewish pilots to fly against Arab forces in smuggled fighter planes.{{cite news|url=https://www.heraldtribune.com/article/LK/20040224/news/605202438/SH/|title=Veteran of British, U.S., Israeli air forces.|last=Scheibner|first=Hildegard|date=February 24, 2004|work=Sarasota Herald-Tribune|access-date=October 12, 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190825115343/https://www.heraldtribune.com/article/LK/20040224/news/605202438/SH/|archive-date=August 25, 2019|url-status=dead}}{{Cite magazine |last=Labrecque |first=Jeff |date=April 28, 2015 |title=Pee-wee Herman's dad was one of Israel's top guns |url=https://ew.com/article/2015/04/28/paul-reubens-father-above-and-beyond-doc/ |access-date=June 22, 2022 |magazine=Entertainment Weekly |language=en}}

Reubens's two younger siblings are Luke (born 1958), who is a dog trainer, and Abby (born 1953),{{cite news |first=Judy |last=Klemesrud |newspaper=The New York Times|title=Never Underestimate Power of a Woman, Even at Princeton |date=December 16, 1971 |access-date=October 8, 2008|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1971/12/16/archives/never-underestimate-power-of-a-woman-even-at-princeton.html}} who is an attorney and a board member of the American Civil Liberties Union of Tennessee.{{cite web |url=http://law.vanderbilt.edu/faculty/affiliated-faculty/abby-r-rubenfeld/index.aspx |title=Abby R. Rubenfeld |access-date=October 17, 2008 |publisher=Vanderbilt Law School |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080306181146/http://law.vanderbilt.edu/faculty/affiliated-faculty/abby-r-rubenfeld/index.aspx |archive-date=March 6, 2008 |url-status=dead }}{{cite web|url=http://www.nlgla.org/pastChairs.html |title=Past Chairs |access-date=October 17, 2008 |publisher=National Lesbian and Gay Law Association |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080820034203/http://nlgla.org/pastChairs.html |archive-date=August 20, 2008}}{{cite web|url=http://www.abanet.org/irr/history/acknowledgments.html |title=A Brief History of the American Bar Association |access-date=October 17, 2008 |publisher=American Bar Association |date=August 5, 1999 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050330102509/http://www.abanet.org/irr/history/acknowledgments.html |archive-date=March 30, 2005}}

Reubens spent much of his childhood in Oneonta, New York. As a child, he frequented the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus, whose winter headquarters were in Sarasota. The circus atmosphere sparked Reubens's interest in entertainment and influenced his later work.{{cite news |newspaper=St. Petersburg Times|title=Playing hooky?|date=October 22, 1990|access-date=October 12, 2008|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=JL8MAAAAIBAJ&dq=ringling%20circus%20paul%20reubens&pg=5178%2C2319115}} {{dead link|date=October 2010|bot=H3llBot}} He also loved to watch reruns of I Love Lucy, which made him want to make people laugh. At age five, Reubens asked his father to build him a stage where he and his siblings would act out plays.{{cite news|first=Karen|last=S|publisher=SFist|title=SFist Goes to the Paul Reubens Tribute|date=January 23, 2007|access-date=October 12, 2008|url=http://sfist.com/2007/01/23/sfist_goes_to_the_paul_reubens_tribute.php|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090106191616/http://www.sfist.com/2007/01/23/sfist_goes_to_the_paul_reubens_tribute.php|archive-date=January 6, 2009}}

Reubens attended Sarasota High School, where he was named president of the National Thespian Society. He was accepted into Northwestern University's summer program for gifted high-school students, joined the local Asolo Theater, Players of Sarasota Theater, and appeared in several plays.{{cite magazine|title=The Pee-Wee Perplex: Welcome to Paul Reubens' 'Playhouse'|first=T.|last=Gertler|magazine=Rolling Stone|date=February 12, 1987|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/tv-movies/tv-movie-news/the-pee-wee-perplex-welcome-to-paul-reubens-playhouse-110867/|url-access=subscription}}

After high school graduation, he attended Plymouth State University for one semester.{{cite web |last1=Plummer |first1=Erin |title=About 300 earn PSU graduate degrees, certificates |url=https://eu.fosters.com/story/lifestyle/2009/05/10/about-300-earn-psu-graduate/52000471007/ |access-date=January 13, 2019 |website=fosters.com |language=en |quote=Wetherbee also spoke of Robert Frost's time as a teacher in Plymouth and said Paul Reubens, also known as Pee-wee Herman, attended Plymouth State.}} He then attended Boston University. When he began auditioning for acting schools, he was turned down by the Juilliard School and Carnegie Mellon University. Reubens was accepted at the California Institute of the Arts, where he graduated with a BFA in Theatre in 1973.{{Cite web |title=In Memoriam: Paul Reubens (1952 – 2023) {{!}} CalArts |url=https://calarts.edu/news/memoriam-paul-reubens-1952-2023 |access-date=2025-01-15 |website=calarts.edu}} While in California, his early jobs included working in restaurant kitchens and as a Fuller Brush salesman.

In the 1970s, Reubens began performing at local comedy clubs. Starting in 1977, he made 14 guest appearances on The Gong Show, four of which involved a boy–girl act he had developed with Charlotte McGinnis entitled The Hilarious Betty and Eddie.{{cite news |last=Littleton |first=Cynthia |title=Paul Reubens Remembers Chuck Barris, Appearing on 'The Gong Show,' 'The Dating Game' |work=Variety |url=https://variety.com/2017/tv/news/paul-reubens-chuck-barris-gong-show-dating-game-pee-wee-herman-1202014298/ |access-date=May 2, 2021}} He soon joined the Los Angeles–based improvisational comedy team the Groundlings. He remained a troupe member for six years, working with Bob McClurg, Edie McClurg, John Paragon, Susan Barnes, and Phil Hartman. Hartman and Reubens became friends, and they often wrote and worked together on material.{{cite news |last=Wachs |first=Jeffrey |title=In the Playhouse with Paul Reubens |publisher=Reel.com |url=http://www.reel.com/reel.asp?node=features/interviews/reubens |url-status=dead |access-date=November 26, 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050909020703/http://reel.com/reel.asp?node=features%2Finterviews%2Freubens |archive-date=September 9, 2005 }} In 1980, Reubens had a small part as a waiter in The Blues Brothers.

The character of "Pee-wee Herman" originated during a 1978 improvisation exercise with the Groundlings, where Reubens came up with the idea of a man who wanted to be a comic but was so inept at telling jokes that it was obvious to the audience that he would never make it.{{cite news |first=Sam |last=Hurwitt |work=San Francisco Gate|title=Much bigger than Pee-wee|date= January 7, 2007|access-date=October 10, 2008|url=http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2007/01/07/PKGBUNACBV1.DTL&type=printable }} Fellow Groundling Phil Hartman afterwards helped Reubens develop the character while another Groundling, John Paragon, helped write the show.{{cite news |first=Bob |last=Thompson |publisher=Jam! |title=The jerky guy |date=December 1, 1996 |access-date=October 10, 2008 |url=http://jam.canoe.ca/Movies/Artists/H/Hartman_Phil/1996/12/01/758979.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://archive.today/20120711225150/http://jam.canoe.ca/Movies/Artists/H/Hartman_Phil/1996/12/01/758979.html |archive-date=July 11, 2012 }}{{cite news |first=Ernst |last=Tucker |work=Deseret News |title=Pee Wee's back on tour, so bring along your toys |date=May 9, 1984 |access-date=October 10, 2008 |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=LvoOAAAAIBAJ&dq=pee%20wee%20born%20the%20groundlings&pg=4982%2C3813932 }}{{Dead link|date=September 2021 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }} Despite being compared to other famous characters, such as Hergé's Tintin and Collodi's Pinocchio,{{cite news |first=Ruth |last=La Ferla|work=The New York Times|title= The Once and future Pee-wee|date=May 20, 2007 |access-date=October 6, 2008|url= https://www.nytimes.com/2007/05/20/fashion/20peewee.html?partner=rssnyt&emc=rss&pagewanted=all }}{{cite news |first=Robert |last=Lloyd |newspaper=Los Angeles Times |title=Pee-wee's back in the limelight |date=July 10, 2006 |access-date=October 11, 2008|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2006-jul-10-et-peewee-story.html }} Reubens said that there was no specific source for "Pee-wee" other than a collection of ideas. Pee-wee's voice originated in 1970 when Reubens appeared in a production of Life with Father, where he was cast as one of the most obnoxious characters in the play. For this role, Reubens adopted a cartoon-like way of speaking, which became Pee-wee's voice.{{cite news |first= Hal|last=Lipper |work=St. Petersburg Times|title= Local boy makes good|date= November 25, 1985|access-date=October 6, 2008|url= https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=6d4MAAAAIBAJ&dq=milton%20rubenfeld&pg=5141%2C2412998}} {{Dead link|date=April 2012|bot=H3llBot}}{{cite news |first=Tim |last=Cuprisin |work=Milwaukee Journal Sentinel |title=Pee-wee's back in the playhouse again |date=July 13, 2006 |access-date=October 10, 2008|url=http://www.jsonline.com/story/index.aspx?id=466899 }} {{Dead link|date=September 2010|bot=H3llBot}}

Pee-wee's first name came from a one-inch Pee Wee brand harmonica Reubens had as a child, and the surname Herman was the last name of an energetic boy Reubens knew from his youth.{{cite magazine|url=http://peeweestory.tripod.com/article/vf091999.html|title=The Pee-wee Herman Story|magazine=Vanity Fair|first1=Bruce|last1=Handy|date=September 1999|access-date=February 6, 2007|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070314153055/http://peeweestory.tripod.com/article/vf091999.html|archive-date=March 14, 2007|url-status=dead}} The original small, gray suit Pee-wee wore had been handmade for Groundlings Director and Founder Gary Austin, who passed it on to Reubens. The origin of the red tie is less clear, as Reubens claimed that "someone" handed him the "little kid bow tie" before a performance.{{cite magazine|magazine=Time|title=Pee-wee's Small Adventure|date=July 13, 2006|access-date=October 6, 2008|url=http://www.time.com/time/arts/article/0,8599,1213754,00.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060718132944/http://www.time.com/time/arts/article/0,8599,1213754,00.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=July 18, 2006}}{{cite magazine |first=Brian M. |last=Raftery |magazine=Entertainment Weekly |title=Pee-wee Turns 20 |page=1 |date=September 1, 2006 |access-date=October 6, 2008 |url=http://www.ew.com/article/2006/09/01/pee-wees-playhouse-turns-20 |archive-date=August 28, 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080828180256/http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,1515978,00.html |url-status=live }}

{{main|The Pee-wee Herman Show}}

File:Paul Reubens 1984.jpg in Los Angeles (1984)]]

Reubens auditioned for the Saturday Night Live 1980–1981 season on the same day as comedian Gilbert Gottfried. Reubens told Entertainment Weekly hiring both was not an option because they were "the same type of performer", and he knew immediately Gottfried would get the job. He also told the San Francisco Chronicle he believed that "the fix was in" because Gottfried was friends with one of the producers. Reubens was so angry and bitter that he decided he would borrow money and start his own show in Los Angeles using the character he had been developing during the previous few years, "Pee-wee Herman".{{cite news |first=Peter |last=Hartlaub |work=San Francisco Gate |title=Pee-wee may be heading back to his Playhouse. But for now, he's happy to be Paul Reubens. |date=January 24, 2007 |access-date=October 11, 2008 |url=http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article/article?f=/c/a/2007/01/24/PEEWEE.TMP |archive-date=December 9, 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081209000602/http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article/article?f=%2Fc%2Fa%2F2007%2F01%2F24%2FPEEWEE.TMP |url-status=dead }}

With the help of other Groundlings like John Paragon, Phil Hartman, and Lynne Marie Stewart, Pee-wee acquired a small group of followers, and Reubens took his show to the Roxy Theatre where The Pee-wee Herman Show ran for five sellout months. He performed midnight shows for adults and weekly matinees for children, later entering the mainstream when HBO aired The Pee-wee Herman Show in 1981 as part of their series On Location. Reubens also appeared as Pee-wee in the 1980 film Cheech & Chong's Next Movie. He again appeared in 1981's Cheech & Chong's Nice Dreams; the end credits of the film billed him as "Hamburger Dude". Reubens's act had mainly positive reactions and quickly acquired a group of fans, despite being described as "bizarre",{{cite news |first=Marylynn |last=Uricchio |work=Pittsburgh Post-Gazette |title=Pee-wee pedals his way into your heart |date=August 9, 1985 }} and Reubens being described as "the weirdest comedian around".{{cite news |first=Rick |last=Sherwood |work=Pittsburgh Post-Gazette |title=Today in preview |date=May 17, 1983 |access-date=October 10, 2008 |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=v00NAAAAIBAJ&dq=pee%20wee%20herman&pg=5827%2C3780669 }}{{Dead link|date=September 2021 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }} Pee-wee was both "corny" and "hip", "retrograde" and "avant-garde".{{cite magazine |first=Rick |last=Sherwood |magazine=Time |title=The Prince of Prepuberty Grows Up |date=August 1, 1988 |access-date=October 10, 2008 |url=http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,968038,00.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090511051739/http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,968038,00.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=May 11, 2009 }}

When Pee-wee's fame started growing, Reubens started to move away from the spotlight, keeping his name under wraps and making all his public appearance and interviews in character while billing Pee-wee as playing himself; Reubens was trying to "get the public to think that that was a real person".{{cite news |first= Stone|last=Phillips |work= NBC News|title= Pee-wee Herman creator speaks out|date= April 5, 2004|access-date=October 10, 2008|url= https://www.nbcnews.com/id/wbna4653913}} Later on he would even prefer his parents be known only as Honey Herman and Herman Herman. In the early and mid-1980s, Reubens made several guest appearances on Late Night with David Letterman as Pee-wee Herman which gave Pee-wee an even bigger following. During the mid-1980s, Reubens traveled the United States with a whole new The Pee-wee Herman Show, playing at the Guthrie Theater in Minneapolis, Caroline's in New York City and, in 1984, in front of a full Carnegie Hall.

{{main|Pee-wee's Big Adventure}}

File:Pee-Wee Herman (1988).jpgThe success of The Pee-wee Herman Show prompted Warner Bros. to hire Reubens to write a script for a full-length Pee-wee Herman film. Reubens's original idea was to do a remake of Pollyanna, which Reubens claimed was his favorite film. Halfway through writing the script, Reubens noticed everyone at Warner Bros. had a bike with them, which inspired Reubens to start on a new script with Phil Hartman.Paul Reubens, Tim Burton, audio commentary, 2000, Warner Bros. When Reubens and the producers of Pee-wee's Big Adventure saw Tim Burton's work on Vincent (1982) and Frankenweenie (1984), they chose Burton to be the film's director.{{cite book | author = Mark Salisbury; Tim Burton | title = Burton on Burton |page = 42 |publisher = Faber and Faber | year =2006| isbn= 0-571-22926-3 }} The film tells the story of Pee-wee Herman embarking on nationwide adventure in search of his stolen bicycle. The film went on to gross $40,940,662 domestically, recouping almost six times its $7 million budget.{{cite web|url=https://boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=peeweesbigadventure.htm|title=Pee-wee's Big Adventure (1985)|website=Box Office Mojo|access-date=April 6, 2008}} At the time of release in 1985, the film received mixed reviews, but Pee-wee's Big Adventure developed into a cult film.Salisbury, Burton, p.50

{{main|Pee-wee's Playhouse}}

After seeing the success of Pee-wee's Big Adventure, the CBS network approached Reubens with an ill-received cartoon series proposal. In 1986, CBS agreed to sign Reubens to act, produce, and direct his live-action children's program, Pee-wee's Playhouse, with a budget of $325,000 per episode, the same price as a prime-time sitcom, and no creative interference from CBS; although CBS did request a few minor changes throughout the years. After casting actors like Laurence Fishburne and S. Epatha Merkerson, production began in New York City. The opening credits of the show were sung by Cyndi Lauper (under the pseudonym Ellen Shaw).

Playhouse was designed as an educational yet entertaining and artistic show for children and, despite being greatly influenced by 1950s shows Reubens watched as a child like The Rocky and Bullwinkle Show, The Mickey Mouse Club, Captain Kangaroo, and Howdy Doody, it quickly acquired a dual audience of kids and grownups. Reubens, always trying to make Pee-wee a positive role model, created a consciously moral show, one that would teach children the Golden Rule. Reubens believed that children liked Playhouse because it was fast-paced, colorful and "never talked down to them"; while parents liked Playhouse because it reminded them of the past.

In 1986, Reubens (billed as Paul Mall) was the voice of the ship's computer in Flight of the Navigator. In 1987, Reubens provided the voice for the pilot droid RX-24 a.k.a. Captain "Rex" in Star Tours, a Star Wars-themed motion simulator attraction at Disneyland and Disney-MGM Studios at Walt Disney World, and Disneyland Paris. He also reprised the role of Pee-wee Herman in cameo appearances in the film Back to the Beach and TV show Sesame Street, the latter of which made a cameo in Playhouse.{{cite magazine |date=August 16, 1991 |title=Speaking Out |url=https://ew.com/article/1991/08/16/speaking-out-pee-wee/ |url-status=live |magazine=Entertainment Weekly |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090421094851/http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,315142,00.html |archive-date=April 21, 2009 |access-date=October 12, 2008 }}

Right after the success of Pee-wee's Big Adventure, Reubens began working with Paramount Pictures on a sequel entitled Big Top Pee-wee. Reubens and George McGrath's script was directed by Grease director Randal Kleiser. The film was not as successful as its predecessor, receiving mild reviews and doing just over one third as well in the box office,{{cite news|title=Big Top Pee Wee|first=Hal|last=Hinton|newspaper=The Washington Post|date=July 22, 1988 |access-date=October 13, 2008|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/style/longterm/movies/videos/bigtoppeeweepghinson_a0c8d9.htm}}{{cite news|title=Big Top Pee-Wee (1988)|first=Caryn|last=James|work=The New York Times|date=July 22, 1988 |access-date=October 13, 2008|url=https://movies.nytimes.com/movie/review?res=940DE1DA103FF931A15754C0A96E948260}} earning only $15 million.{{cite magazine|title=Who killed Pee-wee Herman?|magazine=Rolling Stone|date=October 3, 1991|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/tv-movies/tv-movie-news/who-killed-pee-wee-241094/|url-access=subscription}}File:PaulReubens as Pee-Wee.png at the 1988 Academy Awards]]Pee-wee's Playhouse aired from September 13, 1986, until November 10, 1990. Reubens had originally agreed to do two more seasons after the third, and when CBS asked Reubens about the possibility of a sixth season he declined, wanting to take a sabbatical. Reubens had been suffering from burnout from playing Pee-wee full-time and had been warning that Pee-wee was temporary and that he had other ideas he would like to work on. The parties agreed to end the show after five seasons, which included 45 episodes and a Christmas Special.{{cite news|title="Pee-wee's Playhouse" comeback aimed at adults|first=Christopher|last=Short|work=The Gazette (Colorado Springs)|date=July 20, 2006}} Playhouse garnered 22 Emmy Awards.{{Cite web |last=Appelo |first=Tim |date=June 23, 2011 |title=Paul Reubens Reveals Status of Judd Apatow's Forthcoming Pee-wee Herman Movie |url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/general-news/paul-reubens-reveals-status-judd-205183/ |access-date=August 1, 2023 |newspaper=The Hollywood Reporter}}

After his 1991 arrest (see below), Reubens kept a low profile, dedicating himself to writing and collecting a variety of things, "everything from fake food, to lamps", although he did do some dubbing and took small parts in films such as 1992's Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Tim Burton's Batman Returns (Reubens portrayed the Penguin's father) and 1996's Matilda and Dunston Checks In. In 1993, he voiced the character Lock in another one of Burton's productions, The Nightmare Before Christmas.{{Cite web |last=Michele |date=July 31, 2023 |title=Paul Reubens, Pee-wee Herman, Nightmare Before Christmas actor passes at 70 After Private Bout of Cancer – |url=https://www.themainstreetmouse.com/2023/07/31/paul-reubens-pee-wee-herman-nightmare-before-christmas-actor-passes-at-70-after-private-bout-of-cancer/ |access-date=August 1, 2023 |language=en-US}} Pee-wee's Playhouse had already ended by the time Reubens was arrested. He cited an overworked crew and a decline in the show's quality in his decision against making a sixth season. The show's popularity and quantity of episodes had allowed for rerun broadcasts, but CBS canceled the reruns on July 29, 1991.{{cite magazine |last=Stein |first=Joel |date=April 9, 2001 |title=Bigger Than Pee-wee |url=http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,999636-1,00.html |url-status=dead |magazine=Time |archive-url=https://archive.today/20130204094217/http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,999636-1,00.html |archive-date=February 4, 2013 |access-date=October 12, 2008 }}{{Cite web |title=What Was On TV When Rugrats Started |url=http://www.rugratonline.com/1991tv.htm |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20011105094106/http://www.rugratonline.com/1991tv.htm |archive-date=November 5, 2001 |access-date=November 5, 2001 }}{{cite news |last=Stuever |first=Hank |date=October 30, 2005 |title=Question Celebrity |newspaper=The Washington Post |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/10/25/AR2005102501369_pf.html |access-date=October 12, 2008}}

During the mid-1990s, Reubens played a recurring role on the TV series Murphy Brown. The role earned him positive reviews and his only non-Pee-wee Emmy nomination, for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Comedy Series. He appeared six times on the show between 1995 and 1997. Afterward, Reubens began working on an NBC pilot entitled Meet the Muckles, a show that would be based on You Can't Take It with You. The project got stuck in development hell and was later dropped when Reubens's ideas grew too elaborate and expensive, although Philip Rosenthal blamed NBC's negative response on Reubens being on a "blacklist".

By 1999, Reubens had given several interviews as himself and made public appearances while promoting the film Mystery Men, the first being on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno that year.{{cite news |first=Jancee |last=Dunn |work=Time Out New York |title=All Blown Up |date=April 5, 2001 |access-date=October 12, 2008 |url=http://www.eonet.ne.jp/~paulreubens/magazine/allbrownup/paulreubensallbrownup.htm |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090510095721/http://www.eonet.ne.jp/~paulreubens/magazine/allbrownup/paulreubensallbrownup.htm |archive-date=May 10, 2009 }} He also starred in Dwight Yoakam's Western South of Heaven, West of Hell, portraying a rapist and killer. In 2001, Reubens had his first extended television role since Playhouse, as the host of the short-lived ABC game show You Don't Know Jack, based on the video game series of the same name. It was cancelled after six episodes due to low ratings.{{cite news |first=Verne |last=Gay |work=Newsday |title=Do you know Jack? |date=June 21, 2001 |access-date=October 12, 2008 |url=http://www.amarillo.com/stories/062001/ent_knowjack.shtml |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110604005901/http://amarillo.com/stories/062001/ent_knowjack.shtml |archive-date=June 4, 2011 |url-status=dead }}

Reubens played a flamboyant hairdresser turned drug dealer in Ted Demme's 2001 drama Blow, which starred Penélope Cruz and Johnny Depp. His performance was praised and he began receiving scripts for potential film projects.{{cite news |first=Paul |last=Vercammen |title=A long way from Pee-wee Herman |date=April 10, 2001 |publisher=CNN |access-date=October 12, 2008 |url=http://archives.cnn.com/2001/SHOWBIZ/Movies/04/10/paul.reubens/index.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090219205048/http://archives.cnn.com/2001/SHOWBIZ/Movies/04/10/paul.reubens/index.html |archive-date=February 19, 2009 }}{{cite news |first=Jessica |last=Hundley |newspaper=The Guardian |title=Herman's hermit |date=May 26, 2001 |access-date=October 12, 2008|url=https://www.theguardian.com/film/2001/may/26/features | location=London}}

Reubens made cameos and guest appearances in numerous projects. He played Rick of the citizen's patrol on the popular Comedy Central series Reno 911!, which gained him a small role in the 2007 film Reno 911!: Miami.{{cite news |first= Shawn|last=Hubler |newspaper=Toronto Star|title= Pee-wee's all grown up|date= April 4, 2007|access-date=October 10, 2008|url=https://www.thestar.com/entertainment/article/199144}} In 2006, he appeared in the second music video of the Raconteurs' song "Steady, As She Goes". The video has the band engaging in a comical soapbox car race, with Reubens playing the bad guy who sabotages the race.{{cite news |work= NME|title=Hollywood star guests in new Raconteurs video|date= June 14, 2006|access-date=October 13, 2008|url= https://www.nme.com/news/the-raconteurs/23333}}

In 2007, Reubens attended his own tribute at the SF Sketchfest, where he talked about his career with Ben Fong-Torres. He also signed with NBC to make a pilot on a show called Area 57, a sitcom about a passive-aggressive alien, but it was not picked up for the 2007–2008 season.{{cite news|work=Variety|title=NBC pickups|date=January 29, 2007|access-date=October 13, 2008|url=https://variety.com/2007/tv/news/nbc-pickups-1117958301/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080912125126/http://www.variety.com/article/VR1117958301.html?categoryid=1300&cs=1|archive-date=September 12, 2008|url-status=live}} Reubens did, however, appear on the hit NBC series 30 Rock as an inbred Austrian prince, a character Tina Fey created for him.{{cite news |first=Sandy|last=Cohen |newspaper=The Washington Post|title=Paul Reubens and Pee-Wee Herman Are Back|date= June 19, 2007|access-date=October 13, 2008|url= https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/06/19/AR2007061901103.html}} He also made three guest appearances on FX's series Dirt playing a washed-up, alcoholic reporter named Chuck Lafoon. This time he was recommended for the role by Dirt star and close friend Courteney Cox. Cox's husband, David Arquette, then cast Reubens for his directorial debut, the 2007 film The Tripper.

In June 2007, Reubens appeared as Pee-wee Herman at the Spike TV's Guys Choice Awards for the first time since 1992.{{cite news |date=June 19, 2007 |title="Pee-Wee" Is Back In The Spotlight |work=CBS News |agency=Associated Press |url=https://www.cbsnews.com/news/pee-wee-is-back-in-the-spotlight/ |access-date=May 30, 2021}}

Reubens also had small parts dubbing or making cameos in a series of Cartoon Network projects such as the 2006 television film Re-Animated, the animated cartoon series Chowder, Tom Goes to the Mayor, and Tim and Eric Awesome Show, Great Job!.

In 2008, Reubens was slated to appear as homeopathic antidepressant salesman Alfredo Aldarisio in the third episode of Pushing Daisies, but the role was recast with Raúl Esparza.{{cite web |website=IGN|title=Pee-wee Pushes Daisies|date= August 22, 2007|access-date=October 13, 2008|url= http://tv.ign.com/articles/814/814612p1.html}}{{cite news|first=Ernio |last=Hernandez |work=Playbill |title=Broadway's Esparza Keeps Chenoweth Company on "Pushing Daisies" |date=October 17, 2007 |access-date=October 13, 2008 |url=http://www.playbill.com/news/article/111939.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081204104935/http://www.playbill.com/news/article/111939.html |archive-date=December 4, 2008 }} Reubens instead appeared in the role of Oscar Vibenius in the series' 7th and 9th episodes.

Also, during 2008, Reubens did a PSA for Unscrew America, a website that aims to get people to change regular light bulbs for more energy-efficient ones in the form of CFLs and LED.{{cite news|first=Nicole |last=Walter |publisher=Green is Universal |title=Unscrew America |date=February 21, 2008 |access-date=October 13, 2008 |url=http://blogs.nbcuni.com/greenisuniversal/2008/02/unscrew_america.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080619170504/http://blogs.nbcuni.com/greenisuniversal/2008/02/unscrew_america.html |archive-date=June 19, 2008 }} He also appeared in Todd Solondz's Life During Wartime.{{cite news |first= Adam|last=Fogle |work=The Palmetto Scoop|title=Pee-wee's Big SC Adventure|date= April 16, 2008|access-date=October 10, 2008|url= http://www.palmettoscoop.com/2008/04/16/pee-wees-big-sc-adventure/ |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20080522132118/http://www.palmettoscoop.com/2008/04/16/pee-wees-big-sc-adventure/ |archive-date = May 22, 2008}}{{cite news |first= Ben|last=Child |work=The Guardian|title=Todd Solondz's Happiness 'sequel' features Pee-wee Herman|date= August 28, 2008|access-date=October 10, 2008|url= https://www.theguardian.com/film/filmblog/2008/aug/28/toddsolondzslatesttobehap | location=London}}

From 2009 to 2011, Reubens voiced Bat-Mite in Batman: The Brave and the Bold.{{cite news |first= Steve|last=Fritz |work=Newsarama|title=Animated Shorts – The Voice of CN's Batman Talks Season 2|date= March 26, 2008|access-date=June 1, 2009|url= http://www.newsarama.com/tv/090326-animated-shorts.html}}

In January 2009, Reubens hinted that negotiations were under way for his stage show to come back, and in August the return of The Pee-wee Herman Show was announced.{{cite news | first=David | last=Ng | title=Paul Reubens revives Pee-wee Herman for new stage show | date=August 11, 2009 | work =Los Angeles Times | url =http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/culturemonster/2009/08/paul-reubens-revives-peewee-herman-for-new-stage-show.html | access-date = August 12, 2009 }} Reubens said he felt Pee-wee calling, "I just got up one day and felt like I'm gonna come back, that was it."{{cite news | title=Paul Reubens revives Pee-wee Herman for new stage show | date=December 10, 2009 | publisher=Access Hollywood| url =http://www.accesshollywood.com/the-twilight-saga/pee-wee-herman-taylor-lautners-playing-me-in-the-movie_articletab_26506 | access-date = December 11, 2009 }} The show is also a way to "introduce Pee-wee to the new generation that didn't know about it", preparing the way for Reubens's main project, the Playhouse film.{{cite news | first=Mike | last=Cidoni | title=Pee-wee Herman's big comeback | date=December 12, 2009 | agency=Associated Press | url =https://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5gm5-WLoBPq8xv2s7oJUB6wyxey8AD9CH5E280 | archive-url =https://web.archive.org/web/20091217034816/http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5gm5-WLoBPq8xv2s7oJUB6wyxey8AD9CH5E280 | url-status =dead | archive-date =December 17, 2009 | access-date = December 12, 2009 }} Before this comeback, Reubens's present age and shape had been pointed out as a possible issue, since Pee-wee's slim figure and clean skin have been one of his trademarks. But after appearing for the first time since 1992 as Pee-wee at Spike TV's 2007 Guys Choice Awards, Reubens had remained optimistic and had jokingly said he's no longer nervous about being young Pee-wee again thanks to digital retouching.

File:SXSW 2016 - John Lee, Judd Apatow, Paul Reubens and Ted Sarandos (25778520661).jpg, Judd Apatow, Reubens and Ted Sarandos at the premiere of Pee-wee's Big Holiday in 2016]]

The show was originally scheduled to begin November 8 and continue until the 29th at the Music Box Theatre in Hollywood. Due to high demand, the show moved to Club Nokia at LA Live and was scheduled to run between January 12 and February 7, 2010.{{cite news |first= David|last=Ng |work=Los Angeles Times|title=Pee-wee Herman moves to Club Nokia, pushes back show dates|date= October 6, 2009|access-date=December 11, 2009|url= http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/culturemonster/2009/10/peewee-herman-moves-to-club-nokia-following-high-ticket-demand.html}} To promote the show, Reubens once again gave interviews in character, appearing as a guest on The Jay Leno Show, The Tonight Show with Conan O'Brien (as well as O'Brien's subsequent Legally Prohibited Tour), and Jimmy Kimmel Live!, among others. A Twitter account, a Facebook account, and a new website were made for Pee-wee after the show changed venues.{{cite news |first= John|last=Adams |work=NBC Los Angeles|title=Pee-wee Herman makes Los Angeles his new playhouse|date= December 7, 2009|access-date=December 11, 2009|url= http://www.nbclosangeles.com/entertainment/television/Pee-wee-Herman-to-Headline-Nokia-78637357.html}}

On November 11, 2010, the show relocated to New York City for a limited run at the Stephen Sondheim Theatre, selling over $3 million in advance tickets.{{cite news | newspaper=The New York Times| url=https://www.nytimes.com/2010/10/31/theater/31peewee.html | title=Candy-Colored Bow-Tied Redemption |access-date= October 28, 2010 | date = October 28, 2010 | first = Dave | last = Itzkoff }} An extra performance was taped for the HBO network on January 6, 2011, and debuted March 19.{{cite news|newspaper=Playbill |url=http://www.playbill.com/playblog/2011/01/pee-wee-herman-show-tapes-for-hbo-jan-6/ |title='Pee-wee Herman Show' Tapes for HBO Jan. 6 |access-date=March 30, 2011 |date=January 6, 2011 |first=Thomas |last=Peter |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110314124250/http://www.playbill.com/playblog/2011/01/pee-wee-herman-show-tapes-for-hbo-jan-6/ |archive-date=March 14, 2011 }}

From 2012 to 2013, Reubens contributed his voice talents to the animated series Tron: Uprising as Pavel.{{cite web |title=TRON: Uprising Coming to Disney XD in 2012 |date=November 6, 2010 |url=https://www.comingsoon.net/news/tvnews.php?id=71470 |publisher=ComingSoon.net |access-date=January 11, 2011 |archive-date=December 24, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101224104010/http://www.comingsoon.net/news/tvnews.php?id=71470 |url-status=dead }} In 2014, Reubens appeared in TV on the Radio's music video for "Happy Idiot".{{cite web|last1=Minkser|first1=Evan|title=TV on the Radio's "Happy Idiot" Video Stars Paul Reubens (aka Pee-wee Herman) and Karen Gillan|url=https://pitchfork.com/news/56905-tv-on-the-radios-happy-idiot-video-stars-paul-reubens-aka-pee-wee-herman-and-karen-gillan/|website=Pitchfork |date=September 30, 2014|access-date=April 14, 2017}}

In February 2015, Netflix acquired the rights to produce a new Pee-wee film entitled Pee-wee's Big Holiday with Reubens and Judd Apatow producing the film, John Lee directing, and Reubens and Paul Rust writing the screenplay. The film released on March 18, 2016, on Netflix to positive reception.{{Cite web|url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/pee_wees_big_holiday/|title=Pee-wee's Big Holiday|website=Rotten Tomatoes |date=March 18, 2016|access-date=March 21, 2016}}{{cite news|last1=Evers|first1=Joris|title=Why You'll See Some High Profile Movies Leave Netflix US Next Month|url=http://blog.netflix.com/2015/08/why-youll-see-some-high-profile-movies.html|access-date=August 31, 2015|publisher=Netflix|date=August 30, 2015|archive-date=September 1, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150901033918/http://blog.netflix.com/2015/08/why-youll-see-some-high-profile-movies.html|url-status=dead}}{{cite web|url=https://www.thewrap.com/pee-wees-big-holiday-sets-netflix-premiere-date-video/|title=Pee-Wee's Big Holiday' Gets Netflix Premiere Date|publisher=TheWrap.com|first=Joe|last=Otterson|date=January 19, 2016|access-date=January 19, 2016}}

Reubens went on to reprise his role as pilot droid Rex in Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge, a Star Wars-themed land that opened at Disneyland and Disney's Hollywood Studios at Walt Disney World in 2019. Reubens previously portrayed the character in the original Star Tours attraction in 1987 and Star Wars Rebels in 2014. In Galaxy's Edge, the former Star Tours pilot droid RX-24 – "Rex" – has been reprogrammed into DJ R-3X, the house DJ of a bar and restaurant called Oga's Cantina.{{Cite web|url=https://io9.gizmodo.com/weve-been-to-star-wars-galaxys-edge-and-life-will-never-1832878349|title=We've Been to Star Wars Galaxy's Edge and Life Will Never Be the Same|date=February 28, 2019|publisher=io9|access-date=February 28, 2019|archive-date=February 28, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190228055048/https://io9.gizmodo.com/weve-been-to-star-wars-galaxys-edge-and-life-will-never-1832878349|url-status=dead}}{{Cite web|url=https://d23.com/galaxys-edge-announcements/|title=Everything You Need to Know About Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge |date=February 27, 2019|publisher=Disney Parks Blog|access-date=February 28, 2019}}

Reubens also voiced Ivor in Minecraft: Story Mode, which he claimed to be among his favorite voice acting roles.{{Cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3HVEdCYKwOM|title= Minecraft: Story Mode - Paul Reubens (Pee-Wee Herman) Interview|website=YouTube |date=June 4, 2016|access-date=February 6, 2024}}

When Reubens started giving interviews again after his 2002 arrest, he talked about the two scripts he had written for future Pee-wee Herman films.

Reubens once called his first script The Pee-wee Herman Story, describing it as a black comedy. He also referred to the script as "dark Pee-wee" or "adult Pee-wee",{{Cite news |last=Robinson |first=Tasha |date=July 26, 2006 |title=Paul Reubens |url=https://www.avclub.com/content/node/50982 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080815155256/http://www.avclub.com/content/node/50982 |archive-date=August 15, 2008 |access-date=October 12, 2008 |work=The A.V. Club}} with the plot involving Pee-wee becoming famous as a singer after making a hit single and moving to Hollywood, where "he does everything wrong and becomes a big jerk". Reubens further explained the film has many "Valley of the Dolls moments". Reubens thought this script would be the first one to start production, but in 2006 Reubens announced he was to start filming his second script in 2007.

The second film, a family-friendly adventure, is called Pee-wee's Playhouse: The Movie by Reubens,{{Cite news |last=Arnold |first=Thomas K. |date=November 8, 2004 |title=Back to Pee-wee's Playhouse |url=https://www.usatoday.com/life/television/news/2004-11-08-pee-wee_x.htm |access-date=October 12, 2008 |work=USA Today}} and follows Pee-wee and his Playhouse friends on a road-trip adventure, meaning that they would leave the house for the first time and go out into "Puppetland". All of the original characters of the show, live-action and puppets are included in Reubens's script. The story happens in a fantasy land that would be reminiscent of H.R. Pufnstuf and The Wonderful Wizard of Oz.{{Cite news |last=Horowitz |first=Josh |date=December 11, 2007 |title=Pee-wee's Big Return? Paul Reubens Discusses Plans For Two Pee-wee Films |url=http://www.mtv.com/movies/news/articles/1576172/20071210/story.jhtml |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081230163910/http://www.mtv.com/movies/news/articles/1576172/20071210/story.jhtml |archive-date=December 30, 2008 |access-date=March 16, 2016 |publisher=MTV}} In January 2009, Reubens told Gary Panter that the rejected first script of Pee-wee's Big Adventure (which they co-wrote) could have a film deal very soon and that it would be "90 minutes of incredible beauty".{{Cite news |last=Panter |first=Gary |date=January 28, 2009 |title=Icons: Paul Reubens |url=http://swindlemagazine.com/icons3/paul-reubens/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090129222004/http://swindlemagazine.com/icons3/paul-reubens/ |archive-date=January 29, 2009 |access-date=January 30, 2009 |work=Swindle}} In December 2009, while in character, Reubens said this film is "already done, the script is already fully written; It's ready to shoot." Most of the film will take place in Puppetland and claymation might be used.{{Cite news |last=Carrol |first=Larry |date=December 9, 2009 |title='Pee-Wee's Playhouse: The Movie' Is Incoming, And We've Got Story Details |url=http://moviesblog.mtv.com/2009/12/09/pee-wees-playhouse-the-movie-is-incoming-and-weve-got-story-details/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091213041615/http://moviesblog.mtv.com/2009/12/09/pee-wees-playhouse-the-movie-is-incoming-and-weve-got-story-details/ |url-status=dead |archive-date=December 13, 2009 |access-date=December 11, 2009 |publisher=MTV}}

Although he did not reveal much about the scripts, he said that one of the two films opens in prison. He also said that using CGI for "updating" the puppets' looks could be an option, but it all depended on the budget the films would have. Reubens once mentioned the possibility of doing one of the two as an animated film along the lines of The Polar Express (2004), which uses performance capture technology, incorporating the movements of live actors into animated characters.{{Cite news |last=Keast |first=James |date=December 1, 2007 |title=Questionnaire |url=http://www.exclaim.ca/articles/questionaire.aspx?csid1=65 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081005050241/http://www.exclaim.ca/articles/questionaire.aspx?csid1=65 |archive-date=October 5, 2008 |access-date=March 16, 2016 |work=Exclaim!}}

Reubens approached Pee-wee's Big Adventure director Tim Burton with one of the scripts and talked to Johnny Depp about the possibility of having him portray Pee-wee, but Burton was too busy, and Depp said he would have to think about it.

In January 2010, Reubens reprised his role as Pee-wee and reused the set of Pee-wee's Playhouse (albeit slightly modified) for a short sketch on Funny or Die. In the sketch, Pee-wee comes home and shows off a brand-new iPad given to him by Steve Jobs. This leads to a long argument between him and his puppet friends, who point out all of the iPad's disadvantages – even Conky himself points out its flaws by stating that "it looks like a giant iPhone". In the end, Pee-wee uses the iPad as a serving tray to hold glasses of milk and lemonade during a party being held at the Playhouse hours later.{{Cite news |date=March 31, 2010 |title=Pee-Wee Gets an iPad (Video) |url=https://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/01/29/pee-wee-gets-an-ipad-vide_n_442006.html |access-date=October 6, 2012 |work=Huffington Post}} All the voices of the puppet characters are dubbed in by different actors than the TV series, except for Globey whose voice is still done by George McGrath.{{Citation needed|date=August 2023}}

Reubens attended the 1988 Academy Awards with Big Top Pee-wee co-star Valeria Golino, which stirred rumors that the two were dating.{{cite news |date=July 17, 1988 |title=Love Finds Pee-wee Under the 'Big Top', he discovers romance |work=Chicago Sun-Times}}{{cite news |last=Masters |first=Kim |date=July 20, 1988 |title=Smooch Ado About Pee-wee |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/lifestyle/1988/07/20/smooch-ado-about-pee-wee/ed702f39-8185-4d77-9552-9a9cbb135be1/ |newspaper=The Washington Post}} The following year Reubens exchanged vows with Doris Duke's adopted daughter, Chandi Heffner, at a mock wedding over which Imelda Marcos presided, in Shangri-La, Doris Duke's mansion in Honolulu, Hawaii.

Reubens reportedly dated actress Debi Mazar in 1993 after he started attending film premieres with her.{{cite magazine |last=Burkhart |first=Dan |date=May 6, 1994 |title=Odd couple |url=https://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,20185771,00.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090421210504/http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,20185771,00.html |archive-date=April 21, 2009 |access-date=October 14, 2008 |magazine=Entertainment Weekly}} Reubens credited Mazar with ending his depression from his 1991 arrest.

{{cite magazine |title=Paul Reubens: Playboy Interview |url=http://www.playboy.com/articles/paul-reubens-playboy-interview/index.html?page=2 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100817014318/http://www.playboy.com/articles/paul-reubens-playboy-interview/index.html?page=2 |archive-date=August 17, 2010 |access-date=January 14, 2011 |magazine=Playboy}} According to Mazar, the relationship was never consummated."[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u5gKztDIlW0 Debi Mazar Opens Up About Her Platonic Love Affair With Pee Wee Herman]".

In interviews conducted for Pee-wee as Himself, a documentary which premiered after Reubens's death, Reubens acknowledged that he was gay and discussed his relationship with a painter named Guy whom he credited with inspiring some of Pee-wee Herman's mannerisms. After the relationship ended, Reubens visited Guy in the hospital hours before he died of an AIDS-related illness. Reubens chose to focus on his career rather than publicly talk about his sexuality during his lifetime, saying, "I was out of the closet, and then, I went back in the closet. I wasn't pursuing the Paul Reubens career; I was pursuing the Pee-wee Herman career. [...] 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."{{Cite web |title='Pee-wee Herman' Star Paul Reubens Comes Out as Gay in Posthumous Documentary: 'Self Hatred or Self Preservation' |url=https://people.com/pee-wee-herman-star-paul-reubens-comes-out-as-gay-in-posthumous-documentary-8780400 |access-date=2025-01-25 |website=People.com |language=en}}{{Cite magazine |last=Fear |first=David |date=2025-01-24 |title='Pee-wee as Himself' Would Like You to Meet the Man Behind the Bow Tie |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/tv-movies/tv-movie-reviews/pee-wee-as-himself-review-pee-wee-herman-documentary-1235239729/ |access-date=2025-01-25 |magazine=Rolling Stone |language=en-US}}

Reubens and his co-star Lynne Marie Stewart remained close platonic friends until the end of Reubens's life. They were active in the Make-a-Wish Foundation making appearances in character to bring joy to terminally ill children; neither Reubens nor Stewart ever married or had any children of their own.{{Cite web |title='Pee-wee's Playhouse' Alum Lynne Marie Stewart Recalls Meaningful Last Visit with Paul Reubens Before His Death (Exclusive) |url=https://people.com/pee-wees-playhouse-alum-lynne-marie-stewart-recalls-final-visit-paul-reubens-before-his-death-exclusive-8686146 |access-date=2025-02-22 |website=People.com |language=en}}

In July 1991, Reubens was arrested in Sarasota, Florida, for indecent exposure while watching a film at a porno theater.{{cite magazine |last=Burr |first=Ty |date=August 14, 1991 |title=Pee-wee Herman' and Sympathy |url=https://ew.com/article/1991/08/16/pee-wee-herman-scandal/ |url-status=live |magazine=Entertainment Weekly |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090130030459/http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,315140,00.html |archive-date=January 30, 2009 |access-date=October 12, 2008 }} During an unexpected police inspection, a detective detained Reubens, along with three others, as he was preparing to leave. When detectives examined his driver's license, Reubens told them "I'm Pee-wee Herman" and offered to perform a children's benefit for the sheriff's office "to take care of this".{{cite news |date=August 4, 1991 |title=Reports says Pee-wee offered benefit |work=The Victoria Advocate |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=xocLAAAAIBAJ&pg=4829,843709 |url-status=dead |access-date=October 12, 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200728073738/https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=xocLAAAAIBAJ&sjid=WFYDAAAAIBAJ&pg=4829%2C843709 |archive-date=July 28, 2020 |via=Google News }} The next day, after a local reporter recognized Reubens's name, Reubens's attorney extended the same offer to the Sarasota Herald-Tribune in exchange for withholding the story. On the night of the arrest, Reubens traveled to Nashville, where his sister and lawyer lived, and then to New Jersey, where he stayed for the following months at his friend Doris Duke's estate.

This was Reubens's third arrest in the county. In 1971, Reubens had been arrested in the same county for loitering and prowling near an adult theater, though charges had been dropped. His second arrest occurred in 1983 when Reubens was placed on two years of probation for possession of marijuana, although adjudication was withheld.{{cite news |date=November 8, 1991 |title='Pee-wee Herman' Pleads No Contest |newspaper=The Seattle Times |url=https://archive.seattletimes.com/archive/19911108/1316042/pee-wee-herman-pleads-no-contest |access-date=October 12, 2008 |archive-date=May 9, 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090509213323/http://community.seattletimes.nwsource.com/archive/?date=19911108&slug=1316042 |url-status=live }}

The 1991 arrest was widely covered and Reubens became the subject of late-night talk show ridicule.{{cite news |last1=Zinoman |first1=Jason |date=July 31, 2023 |title=In Pee-wee Herman, Joy and Fun Got Flat-Out Weird |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2023/07/31/movies/pee-wee-herman-paul-reubens.html |access-date=August 1, 2023 |quote="Late-night hosts pounced, and so did the news media."}} Disney-MGM Studios suspended a video from its studio tour that had shown Pee-wee explaining how voiceover tracks are produced. Toys "R" Us removed Pee-wee toys from its stores.

Reubens released a statement denying the charges.{{cite news |date=October 1999 |title=The Us Weekly Interview: Paul Reubens |work=Us Weekly |url=http://www.paul-reubens.net/article/1999_10_the_us_paul_reubens/1999_10_the_us_paul_reubens.htm |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090729120441/http://www.paul-reubens.net/article/1999_10_the_us_paul_reubens/1999_10_the_us_paul_reubens.htm |archive-date=July 29, 2009}} On November 7, 1991, he pleaded no contest. The plea avoided a charge on Reubens's record but obligated him to 75 hours of community service. As part of his service, he created, produced, and financed two antidrug public service announcements.{{cite magazine |last=Rohter |first=Larry |date=November 8, 1991 |title=Pee-wee Herman Enters a Plea of No Contest |url=https://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9D0CE1DB163EF93BA35752C1A967958260 |magazine=Time |access-date=October 12, 2008}}

Despite the negative publicity, many artists who knew Reubens, such as Cyndi Lauper, Annette Funicello, Zsa Zsa Gabor, and Valeria Golino, voiced support. Others who knew Reubens, such as Pee-wee's Playhouse production designer Gary Panter, S. Epatha Merkerson, and Big Top Pee-wee director Randal Kleiser, also spoke in support. Reubens's fans organized support rallies after CBS canceled the reruns, picketing in Los Angeles, New York, and San Francisco.{{cite episode |title=Pee-wee Herman |series=E! True Hollywood Story |airdate=June 21, 1998 |season=2 |number=42}} The television news magazine A Current Affair received "tens of thousands" of responses to a Pee-wee telephone survey in which callers supported Reubens by a nine-to-one ratio.

Although Reubens did not offer interviews or appear on talk shows after his arrest, he did appear in character as Pee-wee Herman at the 1991 MTV Video Music Awards on September 5,{{cite web |title=VMA 1991 – MTV Video Music Awards |url=http://www.mtv.com/vma/1991 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160625061818/http://www.mtv.com/vma/1991 |url-status=dead |archive-date=June 25, 2016 |access-date=August 11, 2017 |publisher=MTV}} asking the audience, "Heard any good jokes lately?" He received a standing ovation. Reubens appeared as Pee-wee only once in 1992, when he participated in a Grand Ole Opry tribute to Minnie Pearl.

In November 2002, while filming David LaChapelle's video for Elton John's "This Train Don't Stop There Anymore", Reubens learned that police were at his home with a search warrant. Police were acting on a tip from a witness in the pornography case against actor Jeffrey Jones,{{cite news |first=Stone |last=Phillips |publisher=NBC San Diego |title=Pee-Wee Herman creator speaks out |date=April 5, 2004 |access-date=October 7, 2012|url=https://www.nbcnews.com/id/wbna4653913 }} finding among over 70,000 items of kitsch memorabilia, two grainy videotapes, and dozens of photographs that the city attorney's office characterized as a collection of "child pornography." Kelly Bush, Reubens's personal representative at the time, said the description of the items was inaccurate and stated the objects were "Rob Lowe's sex videotape", and a few 30- to 100-year-old kitsch collectible images."{{cite news |first=George |last=Rush |work=Daily News|location=New York |title='Pee Wee' Says His Porn Was Legal Kitsch |date=January 10, 2003 |access-date=October 6, 2012|url= http://www.nydailynews.com/archives/gossip/2003/01/10/2003-01-10_pee-wee_says_his_porn_was_le.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100830071650/http://www.nydailynews.com/archives/gossip/2003/01/10/2003-01-10_pee-wee_says_his_porn_was_le.html|archive-date=August 30, 2010}}

Reubens turned himself in to the Hollywood division of the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) and was charged with misdemeanor possession of obscene material improperly depicting a child under the age of 18 in sexual conduct.{{cite news |first=Richard |last=Winton |work=San Francisco Chronicle|title=2nd actor arrested on kid porn charges |date=November 16, 2002| access-date=October 10, 2008| url= http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/c/a/2002/11/16/MN236439.DTL }} The district attorney looked at Reubens's collection and computer and found no grounds for bringing any felony charges against him, while the city attorney, Rocky Delgadillo, formally charged Reubens on the last day allowed by statute.{{cite news |first=Charles |last=Feldman |work=CNN |title=Pee Wee Herman actor charged |date=November 16, 2002 |access-date=October 13, 2008 |url=http://archives.cnn.com/2002/SHOWBIZ/11/15/reubens.artwork.flap/index.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080924160107/http://archives.cnn.com/2002/SHOWBIZ/11/15/reubens.artwork.flap/index.html |archive-date=September 24, 2008 }} Reubens was represented by Hollywood criminal defense lawyer Blair Berk.{{cite news |agency=Reuters |website=The Space |title=Gibson brings in veteran defense lawyer amid drink driving charge |date=August 5, 2006 |access-date=October 11, 2008|url=http://arts.abc.net.au/news/artsnews_1707024.htm }}

{{Quote box| quote = One thing I want to make very, very clear, I don't want anyone for one second to think that I am titillated by images of children. It's not me. You can say lots of things about me. And you might. The public may think I'm weird. They may think I'm crazy or anything that anyone wants to think about me. That's all fine. As long as one of the things you're not thinking about me is that I'm a pedophile. Because that's not true.

| source = Paul Reubens on the criminal charges made against him in 2002

| salign = right

| width = 30em }}

In December, he pleaded not guilty through Berk.{{cite news |agency=Associated Press |title=Actor charged with child porn |date=December 13, 2002 |access-date=October 10, 2008 |url=http://www.cjonline.com/stories/121902/usw_people.shtml |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090510054147/http://www.cjonline.com/stories/121902/usw_people.shtml |archive-date=May 10, 2009 |url-status=dead }} In March 2004, child pornography charges were dropped in exchange for Reubens's guilty plea to a lesser misdemeanor obscenity charge. For the next three years, he was required to register his address with the sheriff's office, and he could not be in the company of minors without the permission of their parent or legal guardian.

Reubens later stated that he was a collector of erotica, including films, muscle magazines, and a sizable collection of mostly homosexual vintage erotica, such as photographic studies of teen nudes. Reubens said that what the city attorney's office viewed as pornography he considered to be innocent art, and whether the memorabilia were pornographic images "depends on what one sees in those images". Reubens described the nude images as people "one hundred percent not" performing sexual acts.

Being an avid collector, Reubens often purchased bulk lots, and one of his vintage magazine dealers declared that "there's no way" he could have known the content of each page in the publications he bought, and he recalled Reubens asking for "physique magazines, vintage [1960s] material, but not things featuring kids".

During this ongoing legal issue, Reubens spent two years in Sarasota, Florida, caring for his terminally ill father, who died in February 2004 of cancer.{{cite news |website=Today.com |title=The return (again) of Pee-wee Herman |date=June 19, 2007 |access-date=October 10, 2008 |url=http://www.today.com/id/19314030 |archive-date=October 16, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151016024251/http://www.today.com/id/19314030 |url-status=dead }}

File:Paul Reubens by Gage Skidmore.jpg

Reubens had not always thought of his character as one for children prior to the mid-1980s, when he became more selective of what should and should not be associated with Pee-wee. He was a heavy smoker and hired security to make sure that children never saw him with a cigarette while in costume.{{cite magazine |last1=Miller |first1=Julie |title=All You've Ever Wanted to Know About Pee-wee Herman, and the Man Who Dreamed Him Up |url=https://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2016/03/pee-wee-herman-paul-reubens |access-date=August 1, 2023 |magazine=Vanity Fair |date=March 17, 2016}} He refused to endorse candy bars and other unhealthy food; he said in 1999 that he had proposed "Ralston Purina Pee-wee Chow cereal", but the sugar-free product was not released due to a negative reaction in a blind taste test.

Pee-wee was awarded a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame by 1989, and successfully built a Pee-wee franchise, with toys, clothes, and other items generating more than $25 million at its peak in 1988. Reubens also published a book as Pee-wee in 1989 called Travels with Pee-Wee.{{cite book |url=https://www.amazon.com/Travels-Pee-Wee-Herman/dp/B00112USBC |title=Travels with Pee-Wee |date=January 1989 |publisher=Publications International |access-date=October 16, 2008}} CBS aired reruns of Playhouse until July 1991, when Reubens was arrested, pulling from their schedule the last two remaining reruns.{{cite news |last=Itzkoff |first=Dave |authorlink=Dave Itzkoff |date=November 7, 2004 |title=I, Pee-wee |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2004/11/07/arts/television/07itzk.html?_r=1&pagewanted=1&n=Top/Reference/Times%20Topics/Subjects/D/DVD%20(Digital%20Versatile%20Disk)&oref=slogin |access-date=October 12, 2008}} Fox Family Channel briefly aired reruns of the Playhouse in 1998. In early July 2006, Cartoon Network began running a teaser promo during its Adult Swim lineup. A later press release and many other promos confirmed that the show's 45 original episodes would air nightly from Monday to Thursday starting on that date.{{cite web |first=Colin |last=Mahan |date=June 6, 2006 |title=Pee-wee Coming Back |url=http://www.tv.com/story/4818.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090429085009/http://www.tv.com/story/4818.html |archive-date=April 29, 2009 |access-date=May 19, 2009 |publisher=Tv.com}} Playhouse attracted 1.5 million viewers nightly. In 2007, TV Guide named Playhouse one of the top 10 TV cult classics of all time. Several children's television personas cite Pee-wee Herman as an inspiration, including Steve Burns of Blue's Clues{{cite news |last=Iovine |first=Julie |date=November 18, 1999 |title=At Home With – Steven Burns; A Few Clues in Brooklyn |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1999/11/18/garden/at-home-with-steven-burns-a-few-clues-in-brooklyn.html?scp=1&sq=steve%20burns%20pee-wee&st=cse |access-date=July 12, 2009}} and Stephen Hillenburg of SpongeBob SquarePants.{{cite magazine |first1=James |last1=Poniewozik |authorlink1=James Poniewozik |first2=Jeanne |last2=McDowell |date=December 17, 2001 |title=Soaking Up Attention |url=http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1001466,00.html |url-status=dead |magazine=Time |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050115131247/http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1001466,00.html |archive-date=January 15, 2005 |access-date=July 12, 2009 }}

In November 2004, all 45 episodes of the Playhouse, plus six episodes that had never before been released on home video, were released on DVD split between two box set collections. On July 3, 2013, Shout! Factory announced that they had acquired the rights to the entire series from Reubens, which was released on Blu-ray on October 21, 2014. In addition, the entire series was digitally remastered from the original 35mm film elements and original audio tracks.{{cite web |title=Pee-wee's Playhouse DVD news: Re-Release for Pee-wee's Playhouse - Christmas Special - TVShowsOnDVD.com |url=http://www.tvshowsondvd.com/news/Pee-wees-Playhouse-Christmas-Special/18655 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131112181950/http://www.tvshowsondvd.com/news/Pee-wees-Playhouse-Christmas-Special/18655 |archive-date=November 12, 2013}}{{cite web |title=Pee-wee's Playhouse DVD news: DVD and Blu-ray Plans for Pee-wee's Playhouse - TVShowsOnDVD.com |url=http://www.tvshowsondvd.com/news/Pee-wees-Playhouse-DVDs-BDs-Planned/18735 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131022045803/http://www.tvshowsondvd.com/news/Pee-wees-Playhouse-DVDs-BDs-Planned/18735 |archive-date=October 22, 2013}}{{cite web |date=July 18, 2013 |title=Shout! Factory Nabs 'Pee-wee's Playhouse' Distribution Rights |url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/shout-factory-pee-wee-playhouse-588490 |website=The Hollywood Reporter}}{{cite web |title=Pee-wee's Playhouse DVD news: Press Release about Pee-wee's Playhouse on Blu-ray Disc - TVShowsOnDVD.com |url=http://www.tvshowsondvd.com/news/Pee-wees-Playhouse-Blu-rays-Planned/18763 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131104145212/http://tvshowsondvd.com/news/Pee-wees-Playhouse-Blu-rays-Planned/18763 |archive-date=November 4, 2013}}

Pee-wee's tight-fitting Glen plaid suits have made him a "style icon",{{cite news |last=Bryan |first=Robert E. |date=September 18, 2005 |title=The Talk; Short Story |work=The New York Times |url=https://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9802E0D8113CF93BA2575AC0A9639C8B63 |access-date=October 11, 2008}} with fashion houses and designers like Christopher Bailey, Ennio Capasa, Miuccia Prada,{{cite news |last=Trebay |first=Guy |date=May 22, 2008 |title=Sizing Up the Cut of a Man |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2008/05/22/fashion/22men.html |access-date=October 11, 2008}} Viktor & Rolf,{{cite news |last=Trebay |first=Guy |date=January 14, 2003 |title=A Search for Men's Fashion Starts at the Lost and Found |work=The New York Times |url=https://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9F03E2D81531F937A25752C0A9659C8B63 |access-date=October 11, 2008}} and Thom Browne creating tightly cut suits with high armholes and short trousers that have been compared to Pee-wee's.{{cite news |last=Colman |first=David |date=October 19, 2006 |title=A Man in Short |work=The New York Times |url=https://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9D04E7DD1F30F93AA25753C1A9609C8B63 |access-date=October 11, 2008}}

Reubens discussed plans for a museum, which would contain many of the Playhouse sets and props he owned.

A two-part documentary series on Reubens's life, Pee-wee as Himself, will premiere on HBO in 2025. Reubens took part in the filming of the documentary prior to his death in 2023.{{cite web | url=https://www.tvinsider.com/show/pee-wee-as-himself/ | title=Pee-wee, as Himself - HBO Docuseries | date=November 11, 2024 }}

Reubens died on July 30, 2023, at the age of 70, at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles. The immediate cause of his death was acute hypoxic respiratory failure.{{cite web |url=https://deadline.com/2023/09/paul-reubens-cause-of-death-1235541520 |title=Paul Reubens' Cause Of Death Confirmed |last=Hipes |first=Patrick |website=Deadline Hollywood |date=September 8, 2023}}{{cite news|url = https://www.nytimes.com/2023/07/31/arts/paul-reubens-pee-wee-herman-dead.html|title = Paul Reubens, Creator of Pee-wee Herman, Is Dead at 70|last = Genzlinger|first = Neil|author-link = Neil Genzlinger|date = July 31, 2023|accessdate = July 31, 2023|newspaper = The New York Times|url-access = limited}} At the time of his death he was diagnosed with both myelogenous leukemia and metastatic lung cancer. He had been diagnosed six years earlier, but had not revealed his diagnosis to the public.

Following his death, a statement written by Reubens was released:

{{Blockquote|Please accept my apology for not going public with what I've been facing the last six years. I have always felt a huge amount of love and respect from my friends, fans and supporters. I have loved you all so much and enjoyed making art for you.}}

Reubens was cremated, and his remains were interred at Hollywood Forever Cemetery.

class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders"
scope="col" | Year ! scope="col" | Title ! scope="col" | Voice role
scope="row" | 2004 | The Nightmare Before Christmas: Oogie's Revenge | Lock{{cite web |date=July 31, 2023 |title=Paul Reubens Earned an Impressive Net Worth as Pee-wee Herman: Inside the Late Actor's Legacy |url=https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/paul-reubens-earned-impressive-net-141831251.html |access-date=August 1, 2023 |publisher=Yahoo!}}
scope="row" | 2015 | Minecraft: Story Mode |Ivor{{cite web |last=Albert |first=Brian |date=July 4, 2015 |title=First Minecraft: Story Mode Details Revealed at Minecon |url=https://ign.com/articles/2015/07/04/first-minecraft-story-mode-details-revealed-at-minecon |access-date=July 4, 2015 |work=IGN |publisher=Ziff Davis}}
scope="row" | 2016 | Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare | Willard Wyler{{cite web |last1=Yin-Poole |first1=Wesley |date=August 16, 2016 |title=Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare Zombies goes '80s, stars David Hasselhoff |url=https://www.eurogamer.net/call-of-duty-infinite-warfare-zombies-goes-80s-and-stars-david-hasselhoff |access-date=August 1, 2023 |website=Eurogamer.net |language=en}}
scope="row" |2017 | Minecraft: Story Mode - Season 2 | Ivor{{cite web |date=October 2, 2015 |title=TellTale Games' Minecraft Gets Patton Oswald, Paul Reubens, More |url=https://cosmicbook.news/telltale-games-minecraft-gets-patton-oswald-paul-reubens-more |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230801195526/https://cosmicbook.news/telltale-games-minecraft-gets-patton-oswald-paul-reubens-more |archive-date=August 1, 2023 |access-date=August 1, 2023 |publisher=CosmicBooks}}

==References==

{{Reflist}}

{{Sister project links|d=Q720581|c=Category:Paul Reubens|n=no|b=no|v=no|voy=no|m=no|mw=no|wikt=no|s=no|species=no}}

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