Harold & Kumar star Kal Penn has come out as gay and announced his 11-year relationship in his new memoir.
In an interview with People, the former White House staffer gave further insight into his upcoming book and revealed that he’s always been “public” with his sexuality.
“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,” he explained.
“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 tell-all, which is titled You Can’t Be Serious, also gives readers details regarding his first date with his partner.
“I thought, ‘This obviously is not going to work out,’ I have one day off from The White House and this dude is unironically watching cars go around and make left turns,” he said.
“Next thing you know, it’s been a couple months and we’re watching NASCAR every Sunday. I’m like, ‘What is happening?’ I wanted the reader to enjoy the love and the humor through all of those stories.”
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Later in the interview, the House star talked about being a late bloomer in regards to his sexuality.
“I discovered my own sexuality relatively late in life compared to many other people,” he said.
“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.”
When it comes to his family, Penn expressed nothing but gratitude for his loved ones and said he “felt very supported” after coming out.
“I shared things with my parents and close friends first,” he the publication. “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.”
Penn’s book You Can’t Be Serious is set to be released on Tuesday 2 November.
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