Kal Penn, 'Harold and Kumar' Star, Comes Out as Gay

Kal Penn, known for his role in the "Harold and Kumar" franchise, has come out as gay and revealed that he is engaged to his partner of 11 years. 

The actor, who also worked in the Obama administration, opened up about his sexuality in an interview with People.

"I discovered my own sexuality relatively late in life compared to many other people. There's no timeline on this stuff. People figure their s**t out at different times in their lives, so I'm glad I did when I did," he said. 

Penn recalled coming out to his parents and close friends, saying that he always felt supported. 

"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, okay.' I felt very supported by everyone," he said. "That's a wonderful thing. I know everybody has different experiences with that and so I definitely feel very fortunate."

Penn began his acting career starring in several indie films, according to IMDB. His break-out role came in 2004 when he starred in "Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle." There have been several Harold and Kumar films that have followed featuring Penn, whose acting credits also include "House." 

Penn developed an interest in politics from his grandparents, who marched for India's independence, and in 2009 he took a hiatus from acting to serve in former-President Barack Obama's administration as part of the White House Office of Public Liaison, reported CNN.

In that role, he dealt with Asian-American and Pacific-Islander communities and the arts community, before eventually resigning. His was part of a mass resignation of the President’s Committee on Arts and Humanities in 2017, Entertainment Weekly noted. 

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