Paul Reubens - 1991 Arrest and Retreat From Public Eye

1991 Arrest and Retreat From Public Eye

In July 1991, while visiting with relatives, Reubens was arrested in Sarasota, Florida for masturbating while secluded in a darkened adult theater. Detectives would periodically visit pornographic theaters to observe the audiences, arresting those who engaged in indecent exposure. After arresting a number of other men, a detective who had been observing Reubens stopped him on his way out. When detectives examined his driver's license, Reubens told them, "I'm Pee-wee Herman", and offered to do a children's benefit for the sheriff's office, "to take care of this". The next day, after a local reporter recognized Reubens' name, Reubens' attorney made the same offer to the Sarasota Herald-Tribune in exchange for withholding the story. This was not Reubens' first arrest in the county however; in 1971 he was arrested for loitering and prowling near an adult theater, though charges were later dropped. His second arrest was in 1983 when Reubens was placed on two years' probation for possession of marijuana, although adjudication was withheld. The night of the arrest Reubens fled to Nashville, where his sister and lawyer lived, and then to New Jersey, where he would stay for the following months at his friend Doris Duke's estate. Reubens had not been in character for a year and a half, but because CBS was still running reruns of Pee-wee's Playhouse, Reubens' infamous mug shot, which did not depict the clean-cut look Reubens had shown for the last decade, shocked the public, and many thought that the show had been canceled because of the arrest. The arrest was widely covered, and both Reubens and his character became the subject of ridicule. CBS stopped airing Playhouse, and Disney-MGM Studios suspended a video that showed Pee-wee explaining how voice-over tracks were made from its studio tour. Toys "R" Us removed Pee-wee toys from its stores. Reubens released a statement denying the charges, which was largely ignored by the media. Reubens' attorneys agreed to a plea in which Reubens plead no contest, while maintaining his innocence, so as to avoid what would have been a highly publicized trial. The plea kept the charge off Reubens' record and obligated him to spend 75 hours performing community service, making an anti-drug public service announcement that he would write, produce and finance. Despite the negative publicity, many artists who knew Reubens, such as Cyndi Lauper, Annette Funicello, Zsa Zsa Gabor, and Valeria Golino, spoke out in his support. Bill Cosby defended Reubens, saying "Whatever done, this is being blown all out of proportion." Other people who knew Reubens, such as Playhouse production designer Gary Panter, S. Epatha Merkerson, and Big Top Pee-wee director Randal Kleiser, also spoke out against the way Reubens was treated by the media. Reubens' fans organised support rallies after CBS canceled the scheduled reruns, with several dozens of "Pee-weeites" picketing in Los Angeles, New York, and San Francisco. The general public also appeared to sympathise with Reubens—the TV news magazine A Current Affair received "tens of thousands" of responses to a Pee-wee telephone survey, in which callers supported Reubens in a nine-to-one majority. He remained in a state of shock for weeks, and was haunted by the arrest for several years, refusing to give interviews or appear on talk shows.

He made a subsequent public appearance as Pee-wee at the 1991 MTV Video Music Awards, where he asked the audience, "Heard any good jokes lately?" After he received a standing ovation, Reubens said, "Ha, that's so funny I forgot to laugh!" He appeared as Pee-wee once more in 1992, when he participated in a Grand Ole Opry tribute to Minnie Pearl.