What Happened To Pee-Wee Herman & What Are Paul Reubens' Latest Legal Issues?
Editor's Note: The first version of this article was written prior to Paul Reuben's death.
Pee-wee Herman was one of the most popular children's entertainers of the 1980s, hosting a live stage show that was famously adapted into comedy series "Pee-wee's Playhouse" as well as three films: "Pee-wee's Big Adventure" in 1985, "Big Top Pee-wee" in 1988, and "Pee-wee's Big Holiday" in 2016. The long gap between the second and third entries in this series and a decision by CBS to not air the final five repeat episodes of "Pee-wee's Playhouse" in 1991 both stemmed from an incident that year in which the actor — whose given name is Paul Reubens — was arrested for exposing himself in a Florida adult movie theater.
At that time, police alleged that Reubens was observed pleasuring himself during an adult double feature, which his publicist Richard Grant denied. Grant told the New York Daily News, "He never exposed himself or engaged in any other improper activities," and added that the Sarasota police department had been criticized for using what he called "questionable tactics" in making similar arrests.
Reubens maintained his innocence and eventually pled no contest to the charges, paid a small fine, and performed some community service. Although his career as a child entertainer was effectively halted by the arrest, Reubens did bring his iconic character back for the 2016 film and worked regularly as a voice actor starting in the late 90s and continuing through the 2010s. Shortly before news of his death became public in July of 2023, Reubens was heading to court again, although this time he would have been on the right side of the aisle, so to speak.
Paul Reubens in the process of suing over ownership of props from Pee-wee's Playhouse
In late May of 2023, attorneys representing Paul Reubens filed suit in Los Angeles County court against a man named James Comisar and his memorabilia company The Comisar Collection. According to the lawsuit, Reubens loaned Comisar an array of valuable props and set pieces from "Pee-wee's Playhouse" with the agreement that they would be displayed in a television museum and returned to him upon request.
Reubens said that Comisar never had or intended to build a museum, and since auctioned off the items he donated, including Mr. Window, the Floory puppets, and the Dog Chair. Reubens was seeking the return of the items or $1 million in damages.
Comisar asserted that Reubens gave the items to him to use as he pleased and said Reubens had no legal claim to any of the items. "In addition to those items personally given to me by Mr. Reubens in lieu of sending them to the landfill, without conditions or promises," Comisar told TMZ, "Mr. Reubens seeks the return of material that was the property of film studios, production companies, and individual creators — none of which he is entitled to." Comisar also said he had spent a substantial amount of money storing the items and keeping them in good condition and that Reubens had not made any attempt to recover them in all the time they had been in his custody.
Paul Reubens died on July 30, 2023
On July 31, 2023, the public learned that Paul Reubens had died the day before, on July 30. According to the first official confirmation, which was shared to his social media accounts including his Facebook page, Reubens was diagnosed with cancer six years prior. This was implicitly the cause of his death.
"Pee-wee's Big Holiday" was Reubens' last time appearing as Pee-Wee Herman on camera as well as his last film performance. He continued to work on TV through the final years of his life, including an appearance in "What We Do in the Shadows" in 2019 and a voice acting cameo in a "Bob's Burgers" episode that premiered on May 21, 2023.
No notable developments have impacted the lawsuit over the "Pee-wee's Playhouse" props since the news about it first went public. Of course, it's still entirely possible that his estate will move forward with his attempt at either reacquiring the "Pee-wee's Playhouse" props or equivalent compensation.