Indian-origin Hollywood actor Kal Penn comes out as gay; engaged to longtime boyfriend

By Express News Service

Actor and comedian Kal Penn has come out as gay and has also stated that he is engaged to his partner Josh. The couple has been together for 11 years and is planning on a grand wedding soon.

Penn, known for his role portraying Lawrence Kutner on the hit television program House, as well as the character Kumar Patel in the Harold & Kumar film series, shared his story during an interview with CBS Sunday Morning programme on which he was promoting his new memoir, “You Can’t Be Serious”.

“Josh and I’ve been together for 11 years. 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 creates in your family and your community, will trump anything else, always,” said Penn.

The 44-year-old-actor took a hiatus from acting to campaign for President Barack Obama in 2012 when he worked within the administration in the office of public engagement, working to connect Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders. It was during this time in Washington, DC, he had apparently met his fiance.

“I discovered my own sexuality relatively late in life compared to many other people. There’s no timeline on this stuff. People figure their sh*t out at different times in their lives, so I’m glad I did when I did,” he later told People magazine.

“‘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,” he added.

He also added that sharing the news with his close circle of people has made him feel “very supported by everyone”. On the professional front, Penn recently starred in the series Clarice which is based on Thomas Harris’ best-selling novel The Silence of the Lambs.