In the last months before his death, Paul Reubens participated in over 40 hours of interviews for the HBO documentary 'Pee-wee as Himself.' In these sessions, he came out as gay, detailed his secret relationships, and reflected on the negative impacts of fame and scandals. Reubens shared that he struggled with self-hatred and was often conflicted about his identity. He emphasized the documentary's importance in showing his true self, aiming to dispel the labels that haunted him throughout his life and career.
I had many, many secret relationships. I was secretive about my sexuality even to my friends [out of] self-hatred or self-preservation.
More than anything, the reason I wanted to make a documentary was for people to see who I really am, and how painful and dreadful it was to be labeled something I wasn't.
People had never seen a photo of me other than Pee-wee Herman, and all of a sudden, I had a Charlie Manson mugshot.
Fame was way more complicated.
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