Kal Penn Comes Out, Reveals He's Engaged

Actor has been with partner Josh for 11 years
By Evann Gastaldo,  Newser Staff
Posted Nov 1, 2021 1:56 AM CDT
Kal Penn Comes Out, Reveals He's Engaged
Actor Kal Penn speaks on stage at an early vote rally at Weequahic Park, Saturday, Oct. 23, 2021, in Newark, N.J.   (AP Photo/Stefan Jeremiah)

Kal Penn revealed quite a bit of news Sunday: He's been in a relationship for 11 years, with a man, and they're now engaged. The Harold and Kumar actor and former member of the Obama administration tells People he discovered his sexuality "relatively late in life compared to many other people. There's no timeline on this stuff." He's always felt supported by his family and friends, who've long known, Penn adds. "I know this sounds jokey, but it's true: When you've already told your Indian parents and the South Asian community that you intend to be an actor for a living, really any conversations that come after that are super easy. They're just like, 'Yeah, OK.'"

Penn, 44, discusses his relationship with Josh quite a bit in his memoir, You Can't Be Serious, out Tuesday. The pair met in Washington, DC, while Penn was working at the White House. He writes that he initially didn't think the romance would work out, after Josh showed up for their first date and turned the television to NASCAR, which wasn't Penn's thing. But "Next thing you know, it's been a couple months and we're watching NASCAR every Sunday," he writes. Out notes that Penn and his partner have been photographed together often, but Josh has always been referred to simply as Penn's guest. (More Kal Penn stories.)

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