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The Checkup with Doctor Mike

Kal Penn: From White Castle To White House

The Checkup with Doctor Mike

DM Operations Inc.

Medicine, Health & Fitness

4.91.1K Ratings

🗓️ 28 September 2022

⏱️ 92 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

WATCH THE FULL INTERVIEW HERE: https://go.doctormikemedia.com/youtube/KalPennFull Buy Kal's book here: https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/You-Cant-Be-Serious/Kal-Penn/9781982171391 Kal Penn has one of the strangest resumes in Hollywood. You most likely remember Kal as half of the stoner comedy duo “Harold and Kumar”, or if you’ve watched a lot of medical dramas like I have you may have enjoyed his 2 season arc on House MD where he lit a patient on fire instead of doing chest compressions. But if your name is “Barack Obama” (hey Prez, check your DMs, come on the show?) you may instead remember Kal as a full time staff member at the White House. Huh? President Obama hired the White Castle guy, after he was already famous? That’s right. Your tax dollars paid his salary for years as a full time staff member of the White House Office of Public Engagement. Turns out the roller coaster ride of Kal’s life didn’t end with him sitting at the movie premiere for Van Wilder, next to his strict Indian immigrant parents, watching his oiled body slide off a naked woman while playing a character literally named “Taj Mahal” (yikes). In Kal’s new book, You Can’t Be Serious, he not only details some of the stunning racism he’s faced throughout his 20+ years in Hollywood, but also stories of those late nights in Washington DC working alongside President Obama navigating some of America’s most highly controversial political issues, such as the hurdles they had to clear to remove the army’s “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy, which barred openly queer people from serving in the armed forces. I asked Kal about all of these big picture stories, as well as some smaller ones, like how it’s possible he walks around every day with a tattoo on his left arm that has a typo. Executive Producer and Host: Dr. Mike Varshavski Produced by Dan Owens and Sam Bowers Art by Caroline Weigum CONTACT: [email protected]

Transcript

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0:00.0

Cal Penn has had a unique career. Many of you will know him from his comedies like Harold and

0:05.8

Kumar go to White Castle or Van Wilder, or if you're a fan of medical dramas, like I sort of am, you might know him from his multiple season stint on House MD

0:15.8

where he may or may not have lit a person's chest on fire.

0:19.4

But he also actually took time from acting and went to work for Barack Obama at the White House.

0:26.0

This is a true story in a part of his life

0:28.0

that I actually was unaware of,

0:30.0

but is incredibly interesting.

0:31.0

Throughout this podcast,

0:32.0

we're going to talk about all

0:33.7

things Hollywood including some of his most racist experiences that he had. We talk

0:38.8

about the late nights in Washington DC trying to overturn the't Ask, Don't Tell Bill

0:44.6

that actually prevented armed service members

0:47.6

from serving if they were openly gay.

0:49.8

Truly, this is an enlightening conversation

0:51.8

and one that I definitely enjoyed. I hope you do too. Let's get started.

0:55.6

Be whoop!

0:57.6

My first question is here. Dude, are you hung over?

0:59.8

Am I what? Are you hung over?

1:01.8

No, why? I was at your show last night. Oh, okay. We all were actually. Thank you for coming. Yeah, we were supporting. Oh, awesome. I didn't know that. You should have said hello. Well, I was gonna, but then like it went long and you guys

1:13.1

seemed like you were in a rush to get out a little tipsy. I mean I was a little buzzed

1:16.9

on stage obviously there was a lot of fun I gotta give you props but and I

1:20.4

never do by the way this was the other thing is I mean Cody has been a friend for like he said what 13 years 14 years something like that

...

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