“Please accept my apology for not going public with what I’ve been facing for the last six years,” a post on Paul Reubens’ Instagram account noted on Monday. “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.”
Reubens’ comic character—an upbeat, innocent-acting man-child donning a suit and bowtie—began as a stage performance and later succeeded in an HBO comedy special, multiple films, and an award-winning children’s television program that aired in 1981, “The Pee-wee Herman Show.” Five years later showcased the Saturday-morning comedy series “Pee-wee’s Playhouse,” which ran from 1986 to 1991. They were all accompanied by an assortment of related merchandise.
