Paul Reubens, best known as Pee-wee Herman, came out as gay in his final interviews featured in a new HBO documentary that premiered at Sundance Film Festival.

The revelations emerge from 40 hours of conversations with director Matt Wolf, recorded before Reubens' death from cancer in July 2023.

In the two-part documentary, Reubens spoke candidly about keeping his sexuality private throughout his career, attributing this to "self-hatred or self-preservation." Before his rise to fame, he had a boyfriend named Guy, who later died of AIDS.

Guy's mannerisms, including his signature phrase "Mmmm! Buttery!" would later inspire Pee-wee's famous "Mmmm! Chocolatey!" catchphrase.

As Pee-wee Herman gained popularity, Reubens chose to conceal his orientation.

"I was out of the closet, and then I went back in the closet," he explained, noting he was focused on "pursuing the Pee-wee Herman career" rather than a personal one. Actress Debi Mazar, who dated Reubens, addressed this in the documentary, stating, "I know people will say, 'He was gay!' So what?"

The pressure of maintaining his public image contributed to his career's eventual downturn, including his 1991 arrest for indecent exposure and later legal troubles in 2000. Despite these challenges, friends including Mazar, David Arquette, and Courteney Cox remained supportive through his partial comeback, which included a Broadway show in 2010 and the 2016 film "Pee-wee's Big Holiday."

Reubens participated in the documentary to share his authentic story, though he eventually stopped giving interviews when pressed about certain controversies. In his final audio message to the director, without revealing his terminal diagnosis, he had a message of love.

"My whole career, everything I did and wrote, was based in love." The documentary serves as both a coming out story and a final testament to an entertainer who spent decades bringing joy to others while keeping significant parts of himself hidden from public view.