Pee-wee Herman Actor Paul Reubens' Life, Career and Controversies Revisited

Paul Reubens, who is best known for creating and portraying character Pee-wee Herman, died on July 30, 2023 at 70 years old. The actor’s rep confirmed his death in a statement to PEOPLE, revealing that Reubens had been diagnosed with cancer some time before dying.

Reubens, of course, made a career through Pee-wee after debuting the character in the 1981 stage production, The Pee-wee Herman Show. He went on to play Pee-wee in popular projects including the Tim Burton-directed Pee-wee's Big Adventure (1985) and CBS series Pee-wee's Playhouse (1986-1990).

The actor's personality was on display in his final statement on Reubens' official Instagram page, where the comedian apologized posthumously for not sharing his diagnosis until after his death. “Please accept my apology for not going public with what I’ve been facing the last six years," he wrote in the statement. “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."

In addition to his most iconic role as the "Tequila"-dancing goof — which he revived in 2016 for Judd Apatow-produced Pee-wee's Big Holiday — the actor also appeared in films such as Buffy the Vampire Slayer (1992), The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993), Batman Returns (1992) and Matilda (1996).

Herman's television credits included Murphy Brown, 30 Rock, The Blacklist, Reno 911! and, more recently, What We Do in the Shadows.

Despite success — and heartfelt tributes pouring in from his fellow stars — the children's entertainer's resumé is often remembered alongside dark moments in his life.

In 1991, Reubens was arrested and charged with indecent exposure at an adult movie theater, a charge he pleaded no contest to. And a decade later, in 2001, his home was raided and pornographic material involving minors was reported to be discovered in his possession. The following year, he turned himself in on a misdemeanor charge of possessing materials depicting children under the age of 18 engaged in sexual conduct.

In 2004, the misdemeanor case was dropped when Reubens pleaded guilty to a lesser charge. After the case was settled, the actor spoke out about the allegations, maintaining his innocence.

From his career highs to his legal struggles, here is a complete look at Paul Reubens' ups and downs throughout the years.

1970s: Paul Reubens Creates Pee-wee Herman

Reubens began his career in comedy and acting in the 1970s by joining The Groundlings, a well-known Los Angeles improv comedy troupe that has produced other stars including Kristin Wiig, Lisa Kudrow, Maya Rudolph and Kathy Griffin. During this time, he created Pee-wee Herman, the silly man-child that would serve as the kickstart for the rest of his career, cementing him as a children’s entertainer — and cult figure.

1981: Paul Reubens Launches The Pee-wee Herman Show

The Pee-wee Herman Show, a stage production dedicated to the titular character, premiered at The Groundlings Theatre in 1981. It eventually moved to The Roxy Theatre in Los Angeles before it landed Reubens an HBO special. Through this format, the character was introduced to a national audience.

1985: Pee-wee Herman Makes His Big-Screen Debut in Pee-wee’s Big Adventure

Just four years after debuting the character on stage, Reubens' Pee-wee made it to the movie screen in 1985's Pee-wee’s Big Adventure, which was directed by Tim Burton.

1986: Paul Reubens Creates Pee-wee’s Playhouse

Reubens created Pee-wee’s Playhouse for CBS, which ran a total of five seasons from 1986 to 1990. The children's series earned 22 Emmy Awards, with Reubens nominated personally for 14. He ultimately won twice.

1991: Paul Reubens is Arrested for Indecent Exposure at an Adult Movie Theater

After becoming a beloved children’s entertainer, Reubens faced a national sex scandal in the summer of 1991 when he was arrested for indecent exposure at an adult movie theater in Florida.

The actor was observed exposing himself and arrested along with three other individuals following a raid of South Trail Cinema in Sarasota, The New York Daily News reported in 1991. He was charged with exposure of a sexual organ.

According to the New York Times, he pleaded no contest to the crime and avoided receiving a charge on his record, but was still required to complete 75 hours of community service.

Reubens spoke out about the incident in 2004, telling NBC News, “Well, obviously I wasn't thinking. You know? I certainly wasn't thinking to myself, 'You're a children's show host. Your show is [still] on television.' I wasn't making those lists. I felt like they were insinuating like, well, I was sitting in you know, a darkened movie theater, in my Pee-wee suit."

The actor added that “it didn't seem like a crime to me,” and “didn't seem like anyone's business but my own,” and, despite pleading no contest to the charge, denied that indecent exposure ever happened.

“I maintained at the time that it didn't happen and I maintain that still,” he told the outlet in 2004.

2002: Paul Reubens Is Charged with a Misdemeanor

Reubens was arrested again in 2002 after materials depicting children under the age of 18 engaged in sexual conduct were discovered in his Hollywood Hills home following a police search in 2001, Entertainment Weekly reported at the time.

The actor turned himself in on a misdemeanor charge of possessing materials depicting children under the age of 18 engaged in sexual conduct, EW said.

At the time of his charges, Reubens’ publicist told EW that the “claims are completely without merit. He's going to be completely vindicated at the end of the day.”

2004: Paul Reubens Settles Misdemeanor Possession of an Obscene Image Case

Reubens settled the misdemeanor case in March 2004, as PEOPLE previously reported. The charges were dropped after he pleaded guilty to the aforementioned lesser charge.

In the settlement, Reubens agreed to plead guilty to misdemeanor possession of an obscene image “with the intent to exhibit his collection,” a representative for the actor said at the time. He was fined $100, received three years' probation and agreed to be registered as a sex offender, the Associated Press reported at the time, according to the 2004 PEOPLE article.

In his own statement, Reubens said: “I am glad the prosecutors finally dismissed the child pornography charge without me or the taxpayers having to pay for a costly circus-like trial. I am disappointed any part of my art collection was ever deemed inappropriate. Taking responsibility by calling a few images in this collection 'obscene' and paying a $100 fine seemed like the sanest way to make it end."

2004: Paul Reubens Speaks Out About Misdemeanor Possession of an Obscene Image Case

After settling the 2004 misdemeanor possession of an obscene image case with a plea bargain, Reubens spoke to several outlets about the charges.

In April 2004, he told EW, ”You can say that I’m different, that I’m freaky, that I’m weird — you can say lots of stuff about me. But you can’t say I’m a pedophile. That’s just not a part of who I am. I am not a child pornographer.”

The actor said that the materials that were deemed pornographic were “really camp, kitschy, funny stuff from the ’40s, ’50s, or ’60s." “Ninety percent of anybody off the street who looked at the stuff would burst out laughing and say, ‘You're kidding me,' " he told EW.

In the same month, the comedian spoke with ABC News, telling the outlet, “The moment that I realized my name was going to be said in the same sentence as children and sex, that's really intense. 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.”

He defended the materials once again, calling them “incredible, beautiful stuff that I stand behind.”

When asked if he ever thought it was not a “good idea” to amass the collection following the 1991 charges, Reubens said, “I didn't. I never did. I wasn't really thinking to myself, wow this is my creepy, weird stuff that I shouldn't be collecting. It's not titillating. It's not something that I use for any kind of sexual purpose.”

2020: Paul Reubens Celebrates the 35th Anniversary of Pee-wee’s Big Adventure

During an interview in February 2020 on Jimmy Kimmel Live, Reubens spoke about the 35th anniversary of Pee-wee's Big Adventure, joking that he was "only eight" when he made the film. At the time, an anniversary tour with Reubens was planned, but unfortunately canceled due to the COVID pandemic. Even the few dates of the tour that did happen were profoundly special for Reubens, who wrote on his blog, "While telling stories about the making of the movie and offering up details nobody had ever heard, I constantly felt deeply emotional and would often have to pause to not give away how close I was to bursting into tears."

During the Kimmel appearance, Reubens also opened up about his still-unreleased memoir, admitting that while writing he would get confused with "who I am in which story" — himself or Pee-wee. The status of the memoir or any planned release is unclear.