Actor Paul Reubens Comes Out as Gay

Late actor Paul Reubens, best known for his iconic portrayal of Pee-wee Herman, opened up about his sexuality in his posthumous HBO documentary.

The documentary, which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival on Thursday night, features the actor’s final interviews before his death in July 2023 at the age of 70.

Reubens sat down with director Matt Wolf for over 40 hours of interviews, where he revealed that he had kept his sexuality private, even from close friends and family.

Reflecting on his struggle, he said:“It was self-hatred or self-preservation… I was conflicted about sexuality. But fame was way more complicated.”

The actor shared that before his rise to fame in Hollywood, he had a boyfriend named “Guy.”

“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.”

Reubens also opened up about a deeply personal moment when he visited his boyfriend, who was battling AIDS, in the hospital. “To talk about seeing someone at death’s door… He probably died a couple of hours after that,” he recalled.

While admitting to having had several secret relationships throughout his life, Reubens shared that his career always came first, often at the expense of his personal life.