Kumar finds his White Castle: Kal Penn comes out in heartwarming story

Hollywood actor Kal Penn (Harold and Kumar trilogy, Designated Survivor) has, in his new book You Can't Be Serious, makes public his love story with his partner of 11 years, Josh.

The couple is now engaged, and the publication of the book feels like a kind of celebration of their time together with his fans.

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The former White House staff member revealed the relationship in an interview with PEOPLE, though he stopped short of revealing his partner's last name.

"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. They don't love attention and shy away from the limelight."

The couple met when Penn was working for the Obama administration, and his partner brought an 18-pack of beer for their first date where they watched NASCAR.

While packaged with a veneer of fun, it definitely takes a certain amount of courage to be this candid and open by publishing a memoir and baring parts of one's self for the world to see.

"I thought, 'This obviously is not going to work out," he recalls.

"I have one day off from The White House and this dude is unironically watching cars go around and make left turns? Next thing you know, it's been a couple months and we're watching NASCAR every Sunday. I'm like, 'What is happening?'" Penn said.

There are bound to be many nuggets of details in the book itself, which will be released on Nov 2, 2021, with Penn's touch of humour and wit.

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This article was first published in Geek Culture.