Ears To The House has never subscribed to the ridiculous notion that we shouldn’t speak ill of the dead. Aside from being one step away from toxic positivity, it also stifles discussion as to what someone was really like – we believe that people should be able to openly discuss a person’s life, both good and bad.

Which is why we’re rather baffled today by all the gushing tributes to Paul Reubens – an American actor and children’s entertainer who died over the weekend. Yes, there’s no question that millions of Americans will fondly remember his most well-known creation, Pee-wee Herman – but certain other aspects of his life are either being greatly downplayed or left out entirely in current coverage.

The same can be said of Honey Dijon’s tribute to Reubens – calling him a “comedic genius”…

Reubens did indeed have talent – along with an extremely dubious history. On 26th July 1991, undercover detectives from the Sarasota County Sheriff’s department raided South Trail Cinema. Three men were detained for indecent exposure – before Reubens was spotted by police officers who witnessed him openly masturbating in the cinema.

In a sickening twist, Reubens apparently offered to appear in character as Pee-wee for a children’s benefit – if the department agreed not to pursue indecent exposure charges against him. Officers declined his offer – and narrowly decided against charging him with attempted bribery in the process.

None of this, however, stopped his celebrity friends from coming forward to defend him. Bill Cosby said at the time that “Whatever he’s done, this is being blown all out of proportion” – the same Bill Cosby who has since been accused by at least 60 different women of rape, sexual assault, child abuse and sexual harassment.

However, Reubens was to run into trouble with the law once more. In November 2001, his house was raided by officials who discovered a vast collection of pornography – Reubens was charged the following year with possessing materials depicting children under the age of 18 engaged in sexual conduct.

In March 2004, the child pornography charges were dropped – with Reubens instead pleading guilty to a new charge of possession of obscene material, consisting of minors engaged in sexual conduct. For this, he served three years probation and had to register as a sex offender during that time – had he been found guilty of the original allegations, he would have been on the register for the rest of his life.

Just don’t expect any of the celebrities writing rhapsodic eulogies to mention that…