logo
episode-header-image
Jun 2025
16m 20s

Watch This: Pee-Wee As Himself

NPR
About this episode
The new HBO documentary Pee-Wee As Himself isn't the boilerplate Hollywood profile you think it is. You get the biographical details you expect – how young avant-garde artist Paul Ruebens created the persona of Pee-Wee Herman, and the meteoric rise and fall that followed. But you also get a sense of what it cost Reubens to insist that Pee-Wee wasn't simply a persona, but in fact a real person. It's streaming now on Max.

Follow Pop Culture Happy Hour on Letterboxd at letterboxd.com/nprpopculture


See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.

NPR Privacy Policy
Up next
Jun 2025
Bring Her Back
The hit Australian horror movie Talk To Me was both very good and deeply unsettling. Now its directors (Danny and Michael Philippou) have returned with Bring Her Back, which ups the ante when it comes to disturbing, nightmarish storytelling. The film stars Sally Hawkins as a woma ... Show More
18m 52s
Jun 2022
Jurassic World Dominion And What's Making Us Happy
23m 42s
Mar 2019
2020 Grammys Recap
21m 5s
Recommended Episodes
Jul 2025
PeeWee’s Podhouse – An Inside Look Into the Genius of Paul Reubens
The new HBO documentary Pee-wee As Himself takes a revealing look at the life and legacy of Paul Reubens. Two of Paul’s closest friends, David Arquette and actor/professional wrestler RJ Skinner (aka AEW’s RJ City), join share their own personal memories and stories about Paul. F ... Show More
49m 4s
Sep 2023
Pee Wee's Playhouse: Everything You Didn't Know
The TMI gang is back when their second installment exploring the work of everyone's favorite besuited eccentric. Today they're looking at Paul Reuben's gift to TV — the trippy Saturday morning show that made an entire generation yearn for a talking chair. You'll learn about the i ... Show More
1h 37m
Jul 2025
Pee-wee Herman Part 2 with Jamie Loftus
In the second part of our series, pop culture historian Jamie Loftus takes us through the meteoric rise of Pee-wee Herman and the withering of Paul Reubens' world as dubious allegations surface that threaten to turn a beloved children’s character into a real life villain. Jamie t ... Show More
1h 3m
Oct 2021
Simon Rex - 'Red Rocket'
A Hollywood character unlike any other reflects on his accidental journey from MTV VJ to white rapper to best actor Oscar contender for his portrayal of a has-been porn star in Sean Baker’s latest indie about people on the fringes of American society. Credits: Hosted by Scott Fei ... Show More
1h 2m
Oct 2023
Tim Burton - 'Wednesday' [LIVE]
In front of an audience at the Burbank International Film Festival, the brilliant and eccentric filmmaker reflects on his childhood in Burbank and how it led him to animation and to characters regarded by others as freaks, alternating between mainstream blockbusters and personal ... Show More
55 m
Mar 2022
jeen-yuhs: A Kanye Trilogy
Today on You Can't Make This Up, we are talking about "jeen-yuhs: A Kanye Trilogy" out now on Netflix. The lives of an emerging superstar and filmmaker intertwine in this intense and intimate three-act documentary following Kanye West's career. The documentary event showcases bot ... Show More
36m 30s
Mar 2022
Next Up: jeen-yuhs: A Kanye Trilogy
Next up on You Can't Make This Up, we are talking about "jeen-yuhs: A Kanye Trilogy" out now on Netflix. The lives of an emerging superstar and filmmaker intertwine in this intense and intimate three-part documentary following Kanye West's career. The documentary event showcases ... Show More
6m 10s
Oct 2019
Pedro Almodóvar - 'Pain and Glory'
The most celebrated Spanish auteur since Buñuel reflects on the revolutionary period from which he and his colorful films emerged, why he has avoided Hollywood and what makes his 21st features his most personal yet. Credits: Hosted by Scott Feinberg, recorded by Harley Yanoff and ... Show More
45m 46s
Mar 2020
Introducing The Plot Thickens
Peter Bogdanovich was a young cinephile who quickly rose to become one of Hollywood's top directors. But he soon found himself a victim of jealousy, hubris, public scorn – and a devastating crime. Now, he looks back on a life of fame and failure, and through it all, an enduring l ... Show More
4 m