Late actor Paul Reubens, who has died aged 70 after a secret battle with cancer, was best known for his beloved, red bow-tied character of Pee-wee Herman.
Reubens had portrayed this fictional comedy character since the 1980s and Pee-wee was a permanent fixture in his stage acts, films and TV specials.
However, it came to a screeching halt after a decade of laughter in 1991.
The actor was arrested for indecent exposure after an incident in an adult movie theatre, which saw his career as a iconic children’s comedian suddenly overshadowed by an unravelling sex scandal.
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Reubens’ arrest was covered widely by the media, wherein headlines poked fun at his misdemeanour and ridiculed his character’s now-unfortunately pun-laden name.
The character of Pee-wee Herman bore the brunt of consequences. Disney-MGM studios suspended a video featuring Reubens and Toys ‘R’ Us removed Pee-wee toys from shelves.
In November 1991, Reubens pleaded no contest and his plea resulted in no charge being recorded – however he was sentenced to 75 hours of community service.
Reubens was also not without his staunch supporters. Many of his A-list friends, including singer Cyndi Lauper and late socialite Zsa Zsa Gabor, publicly sided with him.
Fans of the comedian also organised protests when CBS cancelled scheduled reruns.
According to reports, Reubens himself was haunted by the public scandal. A 1991 Rolling Stone article reported Reubens first thought after being arrested was: “I’m gonna disappear now”.
The same article reported Reubens’ lawyer had a blunt assessment of his client’s future, reportedly telling people “his career is over”.
“The moment that I realised my name was going to be said in the same sentence as children and sex, that’s really intense,” Reubens told NBC in 2004.
“That’s something I knew from that very moment, whatever happens past that point, something’s out there in the air that is really bad.”
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The MTV VMAs in 1991 marked the star’s first public appearance since his arrest, where he appeared on stage as Pee-wee.
Audiences gave Reubens a standing ovation when he uttered his first line: “Heard any good jokes lately?”
This marked his last appearance as Pee-wee for a long time. Reubens went to ground and temporarily retired the character.
Reubens went years without resurrecting his alter-ego, which he shelved after that 1991 MTV appearance.
He appeared on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno in 1999, marking one of his first-ever TV interviews as Reubens instead of Pee-wee.
Reubens took this opportunity to announce he was writing a new Pee-wee movie.
Still, in 2004, Pee-wee had not yet resurfaced. He said in an article with Entertainment Weekly he had hoped the world had not seen the last of this character.
The actor also spoke candidly about how his reputation had suffered post 1991.
“If somebody doesn’t like me or thinks I’m creepy – or that I’m a paedophile – all I can do is say it’s not true. Ultimately, I can’t change anybody’s mind,” he told the publication.
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In 2006 Reubens revived Pee-wee at a fan convention and a year later, in 2007, he was featured on TV in character for the first time since 1992.
He also reprised the role in 2010 when he starred on Broadway in The Pee-wee Herman Show, and in the 2016 Netflix original film Pee-wee’s Big Holiday, which Reubens co-wrote and starred in.
However, it may be hard to recreate the magic of the original Pee-wee shows, with Reubens suing an auctioneer for alleged theft of some of the most important props from Pee-wee’s Playhouse.
Reubens died on July 30, 2023, after a six-year struggle with cancer that he did not make public, his publicist said in a statement on the late actor’s behalf.
“Please accept my apology for not going public with what I’ve been facing the last six years,” Reubens said in a statement released on Monday (early Tuesday morning in Australia) with the announcement of his death.
“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.”
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