Talk:Paul Reubens

fake pornography arrest
It is outrageous that Paul Reubens Gay Art and Erotica Collector is treated as Paul Reubens "porn arrest guy." Who is the first "gay photographer"? Wilhelm Von Gloeden. Who were the subjects of that photography? Teenagers. And he was not the only one, then or now. The physique magazine through which gay sensibility expressed itself for decades also dabbled in the athletic youth. Teen nudity in cinema in nudist magazines were legal and accepted, until yesterday when they suddenly became the subject of Orwellian scrutiny. Reubens had his career destroyed for the crime of ... masturbating in a dark theater. You know, that thing that everybody does, and now does publicly for cash on Onlyfans, that crime? He and we lost a decade of his creative energies just because people could not at the time accept what everybody does. And then they destroyed him again because of some old photo that wasn't even enough to convict him. As anyone who has ever observed the American justice system knows, they pile on the charges so they can basically black mail you into pleading. That's what happened. Probably the photos he was charged for are contained in every gay archive, every university library, probably on display at art galleries. But because they were found in Paul Reubens's house, they're a criminal offense. Wikipedia isn't just an information source. It is a carefully crafted attack on Paul Reubens, highlighting what the state wants you to believe. What nobody wants to believe is that Reubens was targeted for his association with Jeffrey Jones, in a case completely unrelated to Reubens. They used a connection as a pretext to gain access to Reubens' home, and exploited the piles of unsorted material to find something they could say "would stick". And for someone already smarting from a sex related attack on his career, Reuben's bent the knee. People have been charged and convicted for possessing photos by Sally Mann and Jock Sturges. But this truth, these facts, will never appear on Wikipedia. That's why I hate Wikipedia. It's not _the_ truth, but the enforced perspective of the biggest mob, and the most determined obsessives. 146.196.38.121 (talk) 15:20, 28 August 2021 (UTC)

pseudonym: Paul Mall
It should be noted that he "appeared" in Flight of the Navigator as the voice of Max. He is credited as Paul Mall.

"One big surprise for 1986 audiences was the voice of MAX, the ship’s computer: Paul Reubens, who had already become a movie star in Pee-Wee’s Big Adventure. In Flight, he used the pseudonym “Paul Mall” in the credits. Kleiser explains: “Paul did not want to have his name used in this project because he wanted to stay low key and have it be a surprise. Kind of like Matt Damon in Interstellar.”

https://movies.stackexchange.com/questions/52631/why-did-paul-reubens-use-a-pseudonym-for-flight-of-the-navigator — Preceding unsigned comment added by 50.108.229.237 (talk) 03:44, 28 January 2019 (UTC)

With friends like this...
This article states in reference to the events leading to his epic 1991 career collapse: "Bill Cosby defended Reubens, saying, "Whatever [Reubens has] done, this is being blown all out of proportion." One wonders if the irony of this statement given Cosby's own fall shouldn't at least be mentioned in this article. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 146.112.44.125 (talk) 15:30, 2 November 2020 (UTC)
 * Quote was unsourced and unverifiable and therefore removed.  Wylie pedia  @ 20:21, 31 July 2023 (UTC)

Paul Reubens is truly a SubGenius
You guys need to stop this right now! You seriously think that Paul Reubens is not a SubGenius at all? Yes he is too! And I want you guys to let me put Category:American SubGenii permanently back as one of the categories on the Paul Reubens Wikipedia article. Why you ask? Because Reubens is truly a member of the Church of the SubGenius. I'm not kidding and I'm not vandalizing the article, No! not at all! Do you guys even know that there was a picture of J.R. "Bob" Dobbs in Pee-wee's Scooter Wall from the first season of Pee-wee's Playhouse? So you guys please look up Paul Reubens as a SubGenius and let me put the category on this article permanently right now, Alright? Thank you!

Suggestion - Appearance on Wheel of Fortune
On 2/11/21 Paul Reubens appeared on and won Celebrity Wheel of Fortune, winning $52,000 for Feed America. This is not listed in his article. — Preceding unsigned comment added by Avarnau (talk • contribs) 19:32, 12 February 2021 (UTC)

Religion removed from page?
Paul Reubens' religion (Jewish) is mentioned multiple times in the Revision History. His sister's religion is mentioned on her page, and his religion is can be found on multiple different sources across the internet. Why has it been removed? — Preceding unsigned comment added by InformationEnjoyer (talk • contribs) 01:59, 15 January 2022 (UTC)


 * Ask Wiki 73.71.250.221 (talk) 12:04, 1 August 2023 (UTC)
 * Wikipedia 73.71.250.221 (talk) 12:08, 1 August 2023 (UTC)

Paul's appearance in a 70's NBC special hosted by Steve Martin
I stumbled on this watching a Steve Martin appearance on the Johnny Carson show via youtube. Steve was promoting the special "All Commercials". It's not listed on Paul's Wikipedia so I thought I'd put it out there for fellow die-hard Paul Ruben fans. He looks amazing and the skits he does are the best of the lot. Yw 87.176.55.56 (talk) 20:18, 7 May 2022 (UTC)

Paul Reubens was definitely in an episode of 227 as Pee Wee but I didn’t see it listed
I wonder why it is not showing? 2601:5C5:4200:AFE0:406:CD4E:DD67:8FA1 (talk) 03:23, 31 May 2022 (UTC)


 * added 227 TV episode ("Toyland") ShadyCrack (talk) 22:07, 31 May 2022 (UTC)

Edit Semi-protected
In the Early Life section, can you please add that he was born to Jewish parents? His father fought for the creation of Israel.https://ew.com/article/2015/04/28/paul-reubens-father-above-and-beyond-doc/2600:100C:A211:92FA:1BC:6598:67C9:63A4 (talk) 21:12, 21 June 2022 (UTC)


 * ✅ https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Paul_Reubens&type=revision&diff=1094428158&oldid=1091383321 AdmiralAckbar1977 (talk) 15:18, 22 June 2022 (UTC)

Batman and Gotham
I notice that Paul Reuben's acting credits as Penguin's father, Tucker Cobblepot in Batman Returns and Elijah Van Dahl in Gotham, are missing. His friendship with Carol Kane also seems to be absent. 143.159.207.134 (talk) 11:21, 28 June 2022 (UTC)

Semi-protected edit request on 13 September 2022
Hi, Could I request an addition for Paul Reubens page? Can his role in the tv series “Gotham” in 2016-2017, as the Penguin’s father (Elijah Van Dahl), be added to his Wikipedia career section? I remember watching him in that series, as well as checking for his character’s mentions on IMDB. Yet another wonderful performance, indeed. Thank you! 2601:246:101:5D40:45F7:74A6:1B96:9642 (talk) 17:25, 13 September 2022 (UTC)
 * This is already in the article: Paul_Reubens RudolfRed (talk) 17:48, 13 September 2022 (UTC)

Semi-protected edit request
Reubens' surname has been misspelled "Reubans" in the last sentence of the section "2002 pornography arrest". Please, correct. 24.225.161.193 (talk) 17:38, 17 December 2022 (UTC)

Typo fixed. ShadyCrack (talk) 00:36, 18 December 2022 (UTC)

PeeWee (Paul Reubens) & WWE The Big Show (Paul Wight)
There has been information that states Paul Reubens and Paul Wight are relatives. Cousins to be exact. Adamsd1783 (talk) 22:16, 2 January 2023 (UTC)

Peewee also appeared on top chef season 9 episode 13
He judged the quickfire challenge... Pancakes and was a judge in the elimination challenge99.225.69.104 (talk) 22:23, 11 July 2023 (UTC)

His Facebook page is reporting his death
No reliable sources picking it up yet, though. SarekOfVulcan (talk) 16:57, 31 July 2023 (UTC)


 * Just tried to post that too. Super sad if true. 2600:4041:1A:C800:2D21:55AB:EB93:3376 (talk) 16:58, 31 July 2023 (UTC)
 * NY Post and Variety are now reporting the same. Passed from cancer. Bigrafabama (talk) 17:03, 31 July 2023 (UTC)


 * Was it brain cancer? 173.88.246.138 (talk) 15:09, 11 August 2023 (UTC)

Paul Reubens was on an episode of The Motown Review Show
Paul Reubens also appeared in an episode of The Motown Review Show back in 1983 or 1984 as Pee Wee Herman with Smokey Robinson as the host of the show. DurginPat47 (talk) 20:53, 31 July 2023 (UTC)

Semi-protected edit request on 31 July 2023
There is a line in the Paul Reubens article which reads: "Disney-MGM Studios suspended a video from its studio tour that had showed Pee-wee explaining how voiceover tracks are produced."

The word "showed" should be amended to "shown" - because this is what we say in English. (Hint: it's the past participle of the verb "to show", not the past tense.) Edgecliff (talk) 23:53, 31 July 2023 (UTC)
 * ✅, thanks —&#8288;PlanetJuice (talk • contribs) 00:08, 1 August 2023 (UTC)

I'm not sure how to do this sort of edit
I shared a link to this article on my Facebook page and the text which appears in the preview panel has not been updated to include Reubens' death date and speaks of him in the present tense, unlike the text in the article which has been changed to the past tense. This sort of meta edit is beyond what I know how to do here. Thanks in advance to anyone who can fix this. AgLupo (talk) 08:44, 1 August 2023 (UTC)

Possessive of Reubens
Paul's last name should be written as Reubens', not Reubens's Jf873 (talk) 17:19, 1 August 2023 (UTC)


 * Not according to MOS:POSS ShadyCrack (talk) 01:40, 2 August 2023 (UTC)

Registered Sex Offender
Should the fact that he was a registered sex offender during the duration of his probation be included alongside his scandals? Source Dpasten (talk) 21:08, 1 August 2023 (UTC)

Semi-protected edit request on 2 August 2023
Under Career The Pee Wee Herman Show - there has never been any suggestion that Gilbert Gottfried was a friend of any of the producers of SNL, and none of the references back up this claim and just reference that Gottfried had a similar style to Reubens.

Suggested change therefore from "Reubens auditioned for Saturday Night Live for the 1980–1981 season, but Gilbert Gottfried, who was a close friend of the show's producer and had the same acting style as Reubens, got the job" to "Reubens auditioned for Saturday Night Live for the 1980–1981 season, but Gilbert Gottfried, who had the same acting style as Reubens, got the job" Perrywhite99 (talk) 15:23, 2 August 2023 (UTC)


 * That implication was from the interview Paul Reubens did with Terry Gross on Fresh Air. He declined to name Gilbert Gottfried, but he was told it was a friend of the producers that got the gig. I think in the Fresh Air interviews and others he noted some similarities between the two. 24.112.119.105 (talk) 15:52, 2 August 2023 (UTC)
 * ✅, with modifications:
 * The SF Chron citation says, Another interesting tidbit was his outrage at not getting cast for "Saturday Night Live" in 1980; he believed that Gilbert Gottfried was a friend of a producer and the fix was in.
 * And the Entertainment Weekly citation says, Reubens: I was starting to be in a lot of those ”up and coming” sections of magazines. It really seemed like I was going to be on SNL. It was a year Lorne Michaels did not produce. I walked in the room, [saw comic Gilbert Gottfried], and I said, ”It’s not going to be both of us. We’re the same type of performer.” I knew then I wasn’t going to get it.
 * I have changed the article to say, Reubens auditioned for the Saturday Night Live 1980–1981 season on the same day as comedian Gilbert Gottfried. Reubens told Entertainment Weekly hiring both was not an option because they were "the same type of performer," and knew immediately Gottfried would get the job. He also told the San Francisco Chronicle he believed that "the fix was in" because Gottfried was friends with one of the producers. Xan747 ✈️ 🧑‍✈️ 18:30, 4 August 2023 (UTC)

Minor typo
In the first paragraph of the section about the child pornography, there is a minor typo. The quote is "...Reubens learned that police were at his home with a search warrant.Police were acting on a tip..." There should be a space between 'warrant' and 'police'. I would edit this myself but I am not verified. Polyfix (talk) 05:34, 12 August 2023 (UTC)


 * ✅ Thanks for spotting that Ollieisanerd  (talk • contribs) 17:12, 12 August 2023 (UTC)

Semi-protected edit request on 9 November 2023
Add the Hulu movie Quiz Lady to filmography BrandyAlmond (talk) 18:09, 9 November 2023 (UTC)
 * Red information icon with gradient background.svg Not done: please provide reliable sources that support the change you want to be made. See WP:IMDB.  Mel ma nn   18:23, 9 November 2023 (UTC)

Semi-protected edit request on 10 November 2023
Paul Reubens was in the 2023 movie Quiz Lady. He is listed in the cast credits. 2600:1700:FA0:2080:FBF0:8F69:6C8C:8EF7 (talk) 13:54, 10 November 2023 (UTC)
 * Red question icon with gradient background.svg Not done: it's not clear what changes you want to be made. Please mention the specific changes in a "change X to Y" format and provide a reliable source if appropriate. Its already in the Filmography RudolfRed (talk) 16:35, 10 November 2023 (UTC)

Inconsistency with Jeffrey Jones - which investigation led to which?
In the first paragraph of Paul Reubens, we have "Police were acting on a tip from a witness in the pornography case against actor Jeffrey Jones," cited to here. That source doesn't explicitly mention Jones at all, but it does say "Acting on a tip from a witness in another pornography case...".

Meanwhile, Jeffrey Jones claims basically the opposite: "Following leads in an investigation of Paul Reubens, Jones was arrested..." It's cited to here, which is unclear about which investigation led to which but seems to at least imply that Reubens's was first, and to here, which unambiguously states "but days later, police searched Jones’ house, saying they were acting on leads found among Reubens’ stash."

I don't think this is quite so simple as that article having it right and this one having it wrong, though. It gives me pause that that same second source also says "Jones' accuser, a 17-year-old boy, came forward last November and 'alleged criminal acts of a sexual nature,'" which seems incompatible with his investigation being kicked off by something found in the Reubens investigation. And there's no alternative given in our article for what else might have sparked the Reubens one.

I think maybe this source might have the answer. The timeline as I understand it from there is:
 * 1. A 17-year-old boy contacts the police about something that leads to an investigation of Reubens's house, where they find his "kitsch memorabilia"
 * 2. Something they find among that "kitsch memorabilia" leads them to investigate Jones, who had taken nude photos of the same boy

That seems to account for the various claims in various places. It would even mean the current wording in this article is technically correct, though misleading. So I'm inclined to edit this article to reflect that timeline. But I'm not totally confident I have this right, it leaves some major open questions, and IMO the implications of this sequence of events are quite a bit darker than how it's currently portrayed in this article, so I'm hoping someone can find a better source that makes all this more explicit. -Elmer Clark (talk) 03:53, 29 November 2023 (UTC)

no longer "a living person"
when I go to edit this page I get the warning about information pertaining to a living person -- which of course Paul Reubens no longer is. Not sure how to remove that? ManlyMatt (talk) 14:46, 3 December 2023 (UTC)


 * I removed it, I believe it’s just the Pp-blp tag ShadyCrack (talk) 17:08, 3 December 2023 (UTC)

Semi-protected edit request on 18 March 2024
Paul Reubens appeared in Cocaine Bear via archival footage 2604:3D09:697E:9280:93EA:EA07:2CE6:9D6C (talk) 17:59, 18 March 2024 (UTC)
 * Red information icon with gradient background.svg Not done: please provide reliable sources that support the change you want to be made. What and where's the "archival footage"? I can't find reliable sources that Reubens appeared in Cocaine Bear either! ~ Tails   Wx  (🐾, me!) 18:54, 18 March 2024 (UTC)
 * Reubens appears in a montage of anti-drug PSAs from the 1980s at the beginning of the film. Not sure if Looper is considered a reliable source. --The lorax (talk) 23:47, 18 March 2024 (UTC)

Move discussion in progress
There is a move discussion in progress on Talk:Reubens (disambiguation) which affects this page. Please participate on that page and not in this talk page section. Thank you. —RMCD bot 03:07, 23 March 2024 (UTC)

Updated interment
I found articles to cite where Paul Reubens has actually been interred and added them. Unfortunately, the Help:Referencing for beginners page did not help me with doing the citations properly. I could not find the cite option at the top of my edit window. Apologies for this and hope someone can fix this. Thank you! Chameleon. (talk) 08:14, 7 June 2024 (UTC)

This is clearly a joke...
"The commercial," Reubens recalls, "was going to be a 50s mom shaking the cereal in a bowl and then putting it on the floor--the kids were gonna come up on all floors and eat it like dogs. It tasted just like Trix, which was my favorite cereal when I was a kid, and it had more of everything good in it than any other cereal on the market at the time. No sugar, sweetened with fruit juice, had all kinds of extra vitamins. It was really good for you, and everything was going fine--until at the last minute they did a blind taste test and kids hated it."

Seriously, this is obviously a joke. There wasn't a Purina brand cereal made for children that they were going to eat on the floor on all fours. Someone should remove that "fact" from the article. 2604:3D08:4D83:1F00:F4A4:8EA1:52C1:F775 (talk) 16:36, 16 June 2024 (UTC)

Semi-protected edit request on 28 June 2024
Hello. My name is Anna Rubenfeld I am Paul Reuben's daughter. I am 43 years old, born on September 16, 1980. I met my dad in 2005 for the first time. It was my choice not to be in the public. I need his relatives to be edited to include my name. I joined Wikipedia because I was told to do so. I've not been in the public before so I can't really cite anything. It was my father's wish before he passed that I include myself. He wanted my name there. If you need more details and info please ask me. Please any help would be greatly appreciated. Thank you. Starla13 (talk) 02:25, 28 June 2024 (UTC)
 * Red information icon with gradient background.svg Not done: please provide reliable sources that support the change you want to be made. Charliehdb (talk) 14:05, 28 June 2024 (UTC)
 * Well, there's my YouTube channel which states that. Also, on Spotify. I also have a news article from a source online that says I'm his daughter. It is public. I attempted to send it here, but it didn't go through. It is a request! I'm his daughter and my name should be on there. We wanted to do that when we was living, but left too soon. Thank you for any help. Starla13 (talk) 09:13, 12 July 2024 (UTC)
 * Can you provide a link to the online source?&mdash; Chowbok  ☠  19:27, 13 July 2024 (UTC)

Semi-protected edit request on 15 July 2024
In the 1991 arrest subsection, please change 1983 to 1993. His 2nd arrest ("1983") could not possibly occur before his 1st arrest in 1991. 136.54.106.120 (talk) 16:26, 15 July 2024 (UTC)

The 1991 arrest was actualy his THIRD arrest, per the cited source, but I've added some language to clarify that. PianoDan (talk) 17:25, 15 July 2024 (UTC)

Semi-protected edit request on 15 July 2024 (2)
In the Death section, please link: metastatic → metastasis  I.e.: please change   to   136.54.106.120 (talk) 16:56, 15 July 2024 (UTC)

Not done: As the metastatic nature of the cancer isn't particularly relevant to Reubens in particular, I think that would be overlinking. PianoDan (talk) 17:27, 15 July 2024 (UTC)