5 things to know about Kal Penn, who just came out as gay in his memoir – the Harold & Kumar actor and former Obama White House staffer is also engaged to his partner of 11 years

Nov 8 , 2021

Harold & Kumar actor Kal Penn, who once served in the Obama White House, with Joe and Jill Biden. Photo: @kalpenn/Instagram

The Indian-American Hollywood actor is most famous for his role in 2004 comedy Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle alongside John Cho

Penn, who also starred in House, How I Met Your Mother and Designated Survivor, publicly opened up about being LGBT for the first time in his book, You Can’t Be Serious

It was the year 2004, when most Hollywood releases featured a predominantly white cast – well, more so than they still do today. But that summer, a film called Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle challenged this norm by featuring two Asian actors in the lead: John Cho and Kal Penn. As the film’s franchise became a huge hit, generating two sequels and skyrocketing the actors into global stardom, Penn, born Kalpen Suresh Modi, used his fame to carve out a unique career for himself.

Recently, the 44-year-old actor and former White House staff member revealed in his new memoir You Can’t Be Serious that he is gay and engaged to his partner of 11 years, Josh (a surname was not revealed).

Here are a few more interesting facts about the actor …

He decided to act after playing the Tin Man in school

John Cho and Kal Penn starred in 2004 comedy film Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle. Photo: @kalpenn/Instagram

After his success as the weed-loving Kumar Patel in bro-comedy Harold & Kumar, the New Jersey-born actor starred in a slew of popular TV shows like House (2007), How I Met Your Mother (2011) and Designated Survivor (2016). He also got rave reviews for his portrayal as Gogol in the film adaptation of Jhumpa Lahiri’s novel, The Namesake (2006).

John Cho as Harold and Kal Penn as Kumar in the comedy A Very Harold & Kumar Christmas. Photo: New Line Cinema

But what first inspired him to become an actor? Penn says it was the time he played The Wizard of Oz’s Tin Man in a school play. “I put the axe up and I turned to the audience and I said, ‘All you fine ladies out there …’ and I just did this pelvic thrust, and the crowd went nuts! And I was just, like, that feeling was interesting,” the actor told CBS News in October.

He was a university guest lecturer

Kal Penn with Joe and Jill Biden. Photo: @kalpenn/Instagram

In 2008, Penn once served as a guest lecturer at the University of Pennsylvania where he taught two undergraduate courses, Images of Asian Americans in the Media and Contemporary American Teen Films, according to the school’s website.