What The Cast Of Pee-Wee's Playhouse Are Up To Today
The following article includes mentions of addiction.
Children growing up in the '80s had a long list of kids shows to choose from like "The Smurfs," DuckTales," and "Garfield and Friends." The Daytime Emmy Award-winning "Pee-wee's Playhouse" brought fun and excitement to living rooms every Saturday morning. It premiered on CBS in 1986 and quickly grew in popularity, thanks to the genius of its lead, Paul Reubens.
Reubens' effortless impressions were a result of memories from his own childhood. "Pee-wee is a conglomerate of me and a couple of other little kids that I knew when I was a little kid," he told CNN in 1981. "I used to work in Florida at the Asolo Repertory Theatre, and I did a season of 'Life with Father' for three months ... and by the time we had finished the run, I had turned the character into a cartoon without even realizing it." Prior to "Pee-wee's Playhouse," Reubens' character had already gained a fanbase on the Tim Burton-directed "Pee-wee's Big Adventure" and its debut adult flick, "The Pee-wee Herman Show." Reubens' 1991 arrest put a huge dent in his career, but "Pee-wee's Playhouse" remains a fan favorite.
On July 30, 2023, Reubens sadly passed away at age 70. Through an Instagram note written by Reubens himself, the public learned that his death occurred six years after he was first diagnosed with cancer. The tragic news was met with sadness by Reubens' fans and fellow celebrities, who honored his legacy. Amidst the somber mood, let's a look back at the cast members who made "Pee-wee's Playhouse" an entertaining watch, and what they've been up to lately.
Laurence Fishburne is a solo act
Laurence Fishburne began acting when he clocked 10, soon getting a major start by portraying Fish in the 1972 television film "If You Give a Dance, You Gotta Pay the Band." Prior to his first comedy series debut on "Pee-wee's Playhouse," he landed minor roles in various TV shows, including "Strike Force," "Miami Vice" (where he portrayed the role of a prison guard), and "Hill Street Blues."
Fishburne's audition for the part Cowboy Curtis was admittedly a bit rigid, as he shared on "Conan" in 2018. "I actually went in and did a whole sort of serious ... gunslinger kind of thing. I was like channeling Yul Brynner from the old 'Westworld' movie, right?" he recounted. "I was with John Paragon and Paul Reubens, and they were like, 'Uh... lighter?'"
The actor has obviously come a long way from his days as Cowboy Curtis, taking breaths away with his depiction of Ike Turner in the Brian Gibson-directed "What's Love Got to Do with It" in 1993 and as Earl "Pops" Johnson in ABC's "Black-ish" decades later. These days, the industry veteran is still lighting up audiences and has made the move to have the stage all to himself. In 2023, Fishburne debuted a one-man show called "Like They Do in the Movies" at the New York Stage and Film Summer Season. Speaking to Deadline, he said of the production, "[It's] the stories and lies people have told me. And that I have told myself."
Lynne Marie Stewart plays Bonnie Kelly on It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia
Once dubbed "the most beautiful woman in Puppetland," The Groundlings alum Lynne Marie Stewart doesn't have much of a public presence today, except for her recurring role in the FX television series "It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia." When it comes to bad TV moms, Stewart's Bonnie Kelly is about as good as they come. She gets on her son Charlie Kelly's (Charlie Day) bad side for her overbearing emotions just as she does for her ever-so-turbulent love life.
Meanwhile, back in Puppetland decades prior, Stewart's character of Miss Yvonne was just as flirty with the gents and sometimes crafty when it came to Pee-wee Herman himself. It was fellow Groundlings alum Paul Reubens' intention from the get-go, as she revealed in a chat with "Downtown with Rich Kimball" in 2020. "Paul got a group of friends together and he said, 'I want her to be like a prom queen.' So that was so much fun to play," Stewart revealed, noting that she'd option dresses for Reubens' approval. "There was one dress, which was a white strapless dress, and it kinda looked like Liz Taylor's dress in 'Raintree County,'" she continued. "And I thought, 'Oh My God! I love this dress!' ... He okayed the dress, and Miss Yvonne's hair, as the years progressed, got bigger, bigger, bigger."
S. Epatha Merkerson's reign on Chicago Med continues
Long before she was part of the main cast of "Chicago Med," S. Epatha Merkerson portrayed Reba the Mail Lady, the bearer of Pee-wee Herman's pen pal letters. Merkerson had not one, but two auditions for "Pee-wee's Playhouse," and met Paul Reubens for the first time when she answered a second casting call. Despite having no prior knowledge of his early work, the duo's chemistry was undeniable. "We sit and we talk, and we immediately hit it off," Merkerson divulged in a 2014 interview with the Archive of American Television. "I mean, immediately he knows he can make me laugh. And we read the scene, and I'm just laughing at him, 'cause he's so funny."
Merkerson, of course, landed the gig, which happened to mark her first TV role. However, the pair's relationship extended beyond the 1991 end of "Pee-wee's Playhouse." Following the announcement of Reubens' death, Merkerson issued a statement to Entertainment Weekly, which read in part, "I always called him Pablo. I will truly miss my friend."
Merkerson would move on from "Pee-wee's Playhouse" to "Law & Order," and these days, she's best known for portraying Sharon Goodwin in the NBC drama series "Chicago Med” since 2015. This role, however, is anything but funny. A former operating room nurse-turned-chief administrator, Sharon Goodwin abides by the rules and manages to show compassion to her colleagues at the same time, since she's been in their shoes. She's also reprised the character on both "Chicago Fire" and "Chicago P.D."
Johann Carlo has been away from the screens
Actor Johann Carlo played the stern cab driver Dixie, who welcomed The King of Cartoons during the first season of "Pee-wee's Playhouse." Often donning a signature yellow hat and a suit, Dixie's announcement of King Cartoon's presence frequently followed the loud blow of a trumpet.
In an interview with KPISS.fm decades later, Carlo revealed that a fan of the show channeled her inner Miss Dixie during a Halloween party long after "Pee-wee's Playhouse" had wrapped up, which warmed her heart since it meant her character's influence still lingered in the memories of children who watched her in the '80s. Likewise, Carlo's nieces were fans of "Pee-wee's Playhouse" at the time it aired and would be frustrated when she wouldn't acknowledge them when the program was on. "They thought I was in front of them in the TV doing my thing, and why wasn't I answering when they called?" Carlo hilariously shared.
Following her season-long run, Carlo went on to appear on the big screen, her last movie role being that of a neighbor in the Kenneth Lonergan psychological drama "Margaret" back in 2011. Carlo also bagged acting jobs on television shows, such as "Crime Story" and "The Sopranos." As of this writing, her last appearance on the small screen was in a 2013 episode of the HBO crime drama "Boardwalk Empire."
Natasha Lyonne is working on camera and behind the scenes
In the first season of "Pee-wee's Playhouse," a young Natasha Lyonne was a third of the trio that engaged Pee-wee Herman in conversation. The Playhouse Gang would join in song and dance, and in one particular instance, Lyonne's Opal annoyed Pee-wee Herman by asking too many questions during a cooking scene. Speaking to Entertainment Weekly in 2018, Lyonne expressed that she was obviously elated to have joined the Playhouse Gang as a first-time child actor, but it wasn't all rosy.
What bad memory does she have of "Pee-wee's Playhouse"? You may ask. "The one dark story about 'Pee-wee's Playhouse' was the day that we had to eat ice cream soup," Lyonne explained. "You could only imagine how excited I was, 'cause I'm like six years old. And then the ice cream soup was actually just like [a] weird movie chalk substance. And I remember being a child and being so perplexed by that giant lie."
Of course, Lyonne has since made a name for herself in Hollywood as one of the inmates in Netflix's hit show "Orange Is the New Black." Furthermore, she's the co-creator and star of the streaming service's Emmy Award-winning series "Russian Doll," with directing added to her list of credits. Similarly, she's both a lead actor and director on the 2023 Peacock series "Poker Face." Lyonne quipped to SiriusXM of this new dual challenge, "As soon as I start directing while acting, I really feel the spirit of Buster Keaton or something like possess me."
Shaun Weiss is eyeing a Hollywood comeback
Upon the announcement of Paul Reubens' death, Shaun Weiss paid tribute to the actor via Instagram. Weiss formed part of The Playhouse Gang as Elvis, alongside Natasha Lyonne (Opal) and Diane Yang (Cher), and he would go on to portray goalie Greg Goldberg in "The Mighty Ducks" trilogy and land a recurring gig on "Freaks and Geeks."
However, when Weiss was apprehended for home invasion in 2020 following a series of other arrests in the late 2010s, his disheveled state — as seen in viral mugshots — raised concerns over his welfare, per TMZ. Weiss would later reveal that he was on a recovery journey toward sobriety. "Drugs and alcohol and my addiction really just ravaged my entire life and took everything that I ever had from me and put me in a really bad place," he shared on "Quest 2 Recovery" in February 2023. "Fortunately, I was able to recover." In a previous chat with American Addiction Centers, Weiss revealed that he was incorporating healthy habits such as daily journaling, long walks, and studying films to sharpen his acting skills and keep his life on a positive trajectory. Additionally, Weiss was looking forward to thriving as a writer by bringing his own story to screens worldwide.
Although he was on a years-long acting hiatus at the time, with his last known role being that of a bus driver in the 2008 release "Drillbit Taylor," he made a return to acting in the "Jesus Revolution" movie in 2023.
If you or anyone you know is struggling with addiction issues, help is available. Visit the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration website or contact SAMHSA's National Helpline at 1-800-662-HELP (4357)
Alisan Porter is a vocal coach and music producer
Alisan Porter joined other stars in paying homage to Paul Reubens following his death, partly writing in an Instagram post, "Paul and I spoke about a year ago and reminisced about our time together. He was such a creative. What he made come to life with Pee Wee was iconic to say the least and the playhouse will always be one of my favorite memories." Indeed, a very young Porter was Li'l Punkin on "Pee-wee's Playhouse," another member of The Playhouse Gang.
Since leaving the Playhouse in 1987, Porter has portrayed characters in flicks like "Parenthood," "Curly Sue," and "The Ten Commandments: The Musical." In addition to getting cast on various television shows, Porter emerged as the winner during Season 10 of "The Voice." Speaking to the BUILD Series in 2016, Porter said of her crowning, "I was in shock. I was really, really shocked. I couldn't believe it. I was preparing myself all day for being runner-up. ... I really did not think I was gonna win." Porter's victory was also a historic moment for the show, since Christina Aguilera became the first female coach to clinch top spot.
In 2017, Porter released an extended play dubbed "I Come in Pieces." Her next body of work was the 2019 album "Pink Cloud." As of 2023, she's working behind the mic as a vocal coach and producer, per Instagram.
Kevin Carlson is a seasoned puppeteer
Kevin Carlson voiced Conky 2000, the "Pee-wee's Playhouse" robot who'd often provide the episode's "Secret Word." Additionally, Carlson voiced the characters Clocky and Floory. And he had a ton of creative freedom, to boot, which made the set a great place to work, as he shared with "Media Mikes" in 2020. In voicing Conky, while he wore Conky's mask and was positioned right in the middle of the Playhouse, Carlson's on-set recordings were then given a more robotic retouch to suit the character.
Carlson has continued to nab on-camera and voice acting roles, with his latest credit at the time of this writing being the character Marley Koala in 2023's "House Party." But over the years, this multi-talent has also established himself as puppeteer, working on movies and shows like "Beetlejuice," "Child's Play 2," "Theodore Rex," "Einstein Pals," and various Muppet-related projects. Meanwhile, Carlson is also a co-creator of the 1995 series "The Adventures of Timmy the Tooth," on which he also served as voice and puppeteer for the titular character.
When asked the reason why he wanted to become a puppeteer, Carlson told "Justin Talks Puppets" in March 2023, "As a kid, you know, maybe 10, 11, 12 [years old] ... is when 'The Muppets' were on television, and that's when I really fell in love with it. But before that, I was playing with G.I Joe's and creating scenes and ... my imagination was going crazy for that. But it was 'The Muppet Show' that really inspired me."
Wayne White has won awards for set design
Wayne White is an all-round talent who voiced Dirty Dog, the villainous Randy, and Mr. Kite on "Pee-wee's Playhouse." Just like Kevin Carlson, White is a puppeteer, who's also extensively worked as an animation illustrator. However, his most prominent craft is set design, for which he has been awarded two Daytime Emmys as part of the brains behind the colorful look of "Pee-wee's Playhouse."
White got his start as a puppeteer in college. Amidst criticism from the people around him, he charted an unconventional path which eventually landed him at the Playhouse. Working on the Paul Reubens-led show was life-changing for White. "Lo and behold! The thing that I love the most — these crazy shows — led to the thing that made me the most money," he voiced in a June 2023 chat with "Star Sessions." "[It] gave me the greatest job in the world on 'Pee-wee's Playhouse,' gave me an income to let me buy a house and raise two kids."
As the subject of Neil Berkeley's 2012 documentary "Beauty Is Embarrassing," White's artistic calling is still at large these days and extends beyond television sets. His unique creations have been featured at the Hunter Museum of American Art in his home town of Chattanooga, Tennessee, as well as incorporated in luxury clothing.