Pee-wee as Himself
Pee-wee as Himself is a 2025 American documentary series directed and produced by Matt Wolf. It follows the life and career of actor and comedian Paul Reubens, best known for portraying the character Pee-wee Herman.
It was released on May 23, 2025, on HBO and Max.
Premise
Pee-wee as Himself explores the life and career of actor Paul Reubens.In the documentary, Reubens came out publicly as gay in interviews taped before his death in 2023. Reubens' sexuality had been discussed by certain outlets in the context of his 2002 arrest, though he had not publicly come out at that point; in the film, he notes that at various times in his life he had been in and out of the closet.
Production
In March 2021, it was announced Matt Wolf would direct a documentary revolving around Paul Reubens for HBO Documentary Films, with Josh Safdie and Benny Safdie set to executive produce under their Elara Pictures banner, and Emma Tillinger Koskoff to produce. In November 2024, the project was titled Pee-wee as Himself.Wolf spent over 40 hours interviewing Reubens, and was given access to the actor's large collection of photographs and video footage. The film includes a final message from Reubens, recorded the day before his death; he discusses his 1991 and 2002 arrests and the damage they did to his reputation, blaming homophobia for the tabloid fallout in both cases.