HBO's Pee-wee as Himself features Paul Reubens discussing his sexuality...

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...for the first time — and the pain of being falsely labeled a pedophile

https://www.latimes.com/entertainmen...eubens-arrests

Paul Reubens' deathbed audio recording is featured in HBO Documentary Films' 'Pee-wee as Himself,' which premiered Thursday at the Sundance Film Festival.

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Pee-wee as Himself is part public story and part spellbinding private story about artistry, ambition, identity and control

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Pee-wee as Himself nearly broke its director

“The film I made, Pee-wee As Himself, was four years in the making, and it almost broke me,” Wolf wrote. “Paul never fully ceded control. He refused to complete a final interview about the arrests that destroyed his reputation and held up our production for long stretches of time.

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‘Pee-wee As Himself’ Wins the 2025 Emmy for Outstanding Documentary

The late comedy legend becomes the only posthumous winner at the 2025 Emmys.

By Denton Davidson

September 7, 2025 6:23 pm

The 2025 Creative Arts Emmy Awards wrapped up on Sunday in Los Angeles, and the night delivered a bittersweet milestone: Paul Reubens won his first Primetime Emmy Award for Best Documentary or Nonfiction Special for coproducing HBO’s Pee-wee as Himself. The two-part film, directed by Matt Wolf, gives fans an unprecedented glimpse into the life, artistry, and resilience of the late comedy icon. Other nominees in the category were Deaf President Now!, Martha, Sly Lives!, and Will & Harper.

Reubens, who died in July 2023 after a private battle with cancer, becomes the only posthumous winner at this year’s Emmys. This marks his fourth Primetime Emmy nomination and his first victory, adding to his two Daytime Emmy Awards for Pee-wee’s Playhouse in 1988 and 1991.

For Wolf, the award represents the culmination of a deeply personal journey to tell Reubens’ story.

“People, when you make documentaries, ask who's your dream subject? And mine always was Paul,” Wolf told Gold Derby. After several unsuccessful attempts to connect with the famously private Reubens, a chance connection through the Safdie brothers eventually brought them together.

From the outset, though, trust was a hurdle. “It was hard. It was a constant struggle of trying to earn Paul's trust, but to also accept that there were limits to how much he was willing to trust somebody,” Wolf explained. Reubens’ complicated history with the media made him wary, and Wolf worked for months to build a relationship strong enough to make the documentary possible.

Unbeknownst to Wolf and the crew, Reubens was battling cancer while filming the documentary.

“I was scheduled to complete a final interview with Paul the week after he died,” Wolf said. “I found out that Paul died on Instagram, the day he died, along with everybody else.”

Despite the shock, Wolf pressed forward, knowing Reubens wanted the project completed. “I read the 1,500-page transcript of our interview right after [he passed],” Wolf recounted. “I wanted to rise to the occasion and do justice under these extraordinary circumstances.”

The documentary explores the delicate balance between Pee-wee Herman, the childlike, irrepressible alter ego, and Paul Reubens, the intensely private man behind him.

“He wanted people to believe that Pee-wee Herman was a real person,” Wolf explained. “But on a deeper level, Paul was very protective of his privacy and anonymity.”

The film traces Reubens’ early years at CalArts, his struggle to break into the entertainment industry, and how rejection from Saturday Night Live inspired him to create Pee-wee Herman. It also highlights his creative collaboration with Tim Burton on Pee-wee’s Big Adventure and the groundbreaking legacy of Pee-wee’s Playhouse.

“In some ways, people recognize that the show was revolutionary,” Wolf said. “But to watch in more specific detail the types of things that they accomplished and the ambition of it, it will be undeniable how singular it was as a cultural phenomenon.”

Reubens’ Emmy win marks a moment of long-overdue recognition for an artist who blurred the lines between persona and performer. Wolf hopes Pee-wee as Himself helps audiences see Reubens in full.

“Paul Reubens created Pee-wee Herman,” Wolf reflected. “Now that Paul has passed away … I hope people can respect and appreciate the artist that was always there within, behind, and alongside his creation.”

Pee-wee as Himself is currently streaming on HBO Max.