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People are saying Pee Wee Herman is the celebrity who’s had the ‘most undeserved fall from grace’

Home> Celebrity> Nostalgia

Published 15:59 4 Nov 2023 GMT

People are saying Pee Wee Herman is the celebrity who’s had the ‘most undeserved fall from grace’

The actor was arrested under indecent exposure charges in 1991

Emma Rosemurgey

Emma Rosemurgey

A lot of people want to be famous, but the reality of it is, fame is no walk in the park.

In fact, if you mess up in any way at all, being famous is probably the worst thing in the world, because everyone in the world is going to find out.

All you need to do is take a look at the celebrity landscape from the last decade or so and see how people have been rightfully cancelled because their problematic behavior has been uncovered.

Harvey Weinstein is one of the most notably cancelled celebrities.
Reuters/Alamy Stock Photo

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And even away from those who've committed serious crimes, many formerly loved celebrities have found themselves falling from public favor over controversial opinions or famous feuds.

Earlier this week, someone started a discussion on Reddit asking which celebrity had the most underserved fall from grace. The top comment, earning 11,000 upvotes, was for Pee-wee Herman, who was of course a character played by Paul Reubens.

The actor, who passed away earlier this year, was hugely popular in the 1980s for his character Pee-wee, starring in films Pee-wee's Big Adventure and Big Top Pee-wee, among others, and in in the CBS Saturday-morning children's program Pee-wee's Playhouse.

ABC

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However, Reubens faced a mighty fall from grace when he was arrested for indecent exposure, after he was allegedly caught masturbating in the toilet of an adult theater in Sarasota, Florida in 1991.

One Reddit user wrote: "For those who don’t know, he was arrested for masturbating in a movie theater. That was the headline for a month.

"In actuality, he was arrested for masturbating in the bathroom of an adults only porn theater. Guy may be a weirdo, but that wasn’t hurting anyone, especially kids."

Another user pointed out there was 'no evidence' that Reuben was actually masturbating as 'police regularly would raid the theater to harass the patrons because many were gay.'


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Despite the controversy, Reubens did go on to experience more successful years after the arrest, after various members of the entertainment industry spoke out in his favor, including director Tim Burton, who continued to cast him in a number of different movies.

On July 30 this year, Reubens passed away following a cancer diagnosis six years earlier. A statement written by the actor was released following his death, which read: "Please accept my apology for not going public with what I've been facing the last six years. 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."

Featured Image Credit: Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images/ Kevin Winter/Getty Images

Topics: Celebrity, Reddit, Film and TV, Entertainment

Emma Rosemurgey
Emma Rosemurgey

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