Paul Reubens has posthumously confirmed his sexuality after fame as Pee-wee Herman put him ‘back in the closet’. The star died aged 70 in July 2023 in Los Angeles from acute hypoxic respiratory failure, where his body failed to provide enough oxygen.
![[Publicity still from 'Pee Wee's Playhouse' (CBS), a children's television show starring Paul Reubens and John Paragon, 1986. (Photo by John Kisch Archive/Getty Images)]](https://metro.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/SEI_237226778-335f-e1737796227119.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&w=646)
At the time, Reubens also revealed he had been diagnosed with two types of cancer, which he had kept secret from fans for six years. In a new documentary about his life, which premiered at Sundance Film Festival, Reubens has opened up for the first time about being gay.
![[Paul Reubens waves while on location filming Pee-wee's Big Holiday]](https://metro.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/SEI_237226667-f40f.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&w=646)
With over 40 hours of interviews, Pee-wee as Himself delves into the man behind the beloved character including his ‘many, many secret relationships’. ‘I was secretive about my sexuality even to my friends [out of] self-hatred or self-preservation,’ he revealed, according to the New York Post.
![[In this handout, American actor, writer, film producer, game show host, and comedian Paul Reubens in a mug shot following his arrest for public indecency, Sarasota, Florida, US, 20th July 1991. (Photo by Kypros/Getty Images)]](https://metro.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/SEI_237256194-5203.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&w=646)
‘I was conflicted about sexuality. But fame was way more complicated.’. Reubens began his career in the 1970s when he joined Los Angeles comedy troupe the Groundlings, working as a comedian and stage actor. It was in 1980 that he had his big break, launching The Pee-wee Herman Show after spending years developing the much-loved fictional character.
The stage production was sold out for months and Reubens appeared as Pee-wee in multiple films and TV appearances. However, this success came at a price for his personal life as the star confessed: ‘I was out of the closet, and then I went back in the closet.
