Kal Penn, best known as Kumar from the cult stoner series Harold & Kumar, has come out, revealing that he’s also engaged to his partner of the last 11 years.
The actor revealed the news in an interview on CBS Sunday Morning while promoting his new in-depth memoir, You Can’t Be Serious.
“Josh and I’ve been together for 11 years,” he said. “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.”
In an interview with People, Penn noted how coming out is a different experience for everyone. “I discovered my own sexuality relatively late in life compared to many other people. 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.”
He continued: “I’ve always been very public (about my relationship) with everybody I’ve personally interacted with. 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.”
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Penn has had quite the career since moving to Los Angeles at the turn of the century to find work as an actor. He starred in the cult comedy Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle alongside John Cho in 2004. The stoner film proved very successful, garnering two sequels.
Other notable acting roles included playing Dr. Lawrence Kutner on House and portraying Kevin, the boyfriend of Robin, in How I Met Your Mother.
He also left acting briefly to work for President Barack Obama: in 2009, he joined his administration as the Principal Associate Director in the White House Office of Public Engagement. It was actually during his time in Washington D.C. that Penn met his fiancé Josh.
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Watch a clip from Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle:
