Actor Kal Penn comes out as gay and reveals he’s engaged to his boyfriend of 11 years
Kal Penn. (Frazer Harrison/Getty)
Actor Kal Penn has come out as gay and revealed that he is engaged to his partner of 11 years.
The actor, who has had starring roles in House, How I Met Your Mother and The Big Bang Theory, opens up about his relationship with his fiancé Josh in his new memoir You Can’t Be Serious.
Speaking to People about the book, Kal Penn revealed that he met Josh during his two-year hiatus from the television and film industries, which he spent working for Barack Obama in the White House.
Penn, who is now 44-years-old, first connected with Josh when he was living in Washington DC after he discovered his sexuality “relatively late in life compared to many other people”.
The actor told People that he has never made any effort to hide his relationship or his sexuality from the world, and he had always been open in public.
“I’ve always been very public with everybody I’ve personally interacted with. Whether it’s somebody that I meet at a bar, if Josh and I are out or we’re talking to friends,” Penn said.
“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,” he explained.
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“They don’t love attention and shy away from the limelight.”
Kal Penn never thought his relationship would work out following hilarious first date
In his memoir, Penn details how Josh turned up at his apartment with an 18-pack of Coors Light and started watching NASCAR on their first date. Penn instantly thought it wasn’t going to work out, but their romance ultimately blossomed.
The actor revealed that he has always had the full support of his family and friends in all aspects of his life – and they have also embraced his fiancé.
“I shared things with my parents and close friends first,” Penn said. “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. That’s a wonderful thing. I know everybody has different experiences with that and so I definitely feel very fortunate.”
He continued: “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.”
