Kal Penn Comes Out, reveals Engagement to Partner of Eleven Years
Kal Penn, best known as the lead in the “Harold & Kumar” comedy series, has revealed that he is engaged to his partner of eleven years.
Penn told his story during an interview on CBS Sunday Morning this week to promote his new tell-all memoir “You Can’t Be Serious,” which touched on his beginnings in acting, his time working with the Obama administration, and his relationship with his partner, Josh.
“Josh and I’ve been together for 11 years,” Penn said, speaking about how he handled his sexuality in his memoir. “We had our 11th anniversary in October. So, writing about it… it’s very matter-of-fact in our lives, and when you’re the son of Indian immigrants who says that you want to be an actor, the chaos that that creates in your family and your community, will trump anything else, always.”
After relocating to Los Angeles to pursue a career as an actor, Penn made his breakthrough with the 2004 comedy “Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle,” in which he co-starred with John Cho. The film spawned two sequels and led Penn to work on other projects such as the 2006 drama “Namesake” and the Fox series “House.”
Penn also took a break from acting to support President Barack Obama’s campaign. He then went on to work in the administration’s office of public engagement, where he helped to connect Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders. Penn met his fiancee while working in Washington, D.C.
“I discovered my own sexuality relatively late in life compared to many other people,” Penn later told told People magazine. “There’s no timeline on this stuff. People figure their shit out at different times in their lives, so I’m glad I did when I did.”
“I’ve always been very public [about my relationship] with everybody I’ve personally interacted with,” Penn continued. “I’m really excited to share our relationship with readers. But Josh, my partner, my parents, and my brother, four people who I’m closest to in the family, are fairly quiet. They don’t love attention and shy away from the limelight.”
“You Can’t Be Serious” will be released on November 2 by Simon & Schuster.