Many were surprised, even amused, when Kal Penn took a break from acting to take a job with President Barack Obama's administration. Obama's detractors loved to mock the idea that the star of a popular stoner comedy could get a job with the democrat's presidency. However, Penn proved to be an able public servant.
Penn's political work goes beyond his work for the Obamas. However, his work for Barack Obama will always be one of the most respectable chunks of his diverse resume. But some might be wondering, what exactly did the Harold and Kumar star do for the 44th president?
8 He Campaigned For Obama
Before he was employed by President Obama, Penn was one of the many celebrity surrogates endorsing the then-senator's campaign. Penn appeared on CNN and other news channels advocating for Obama's candidacy. Obama had a large onslaught of celebrity supporters, including Robert DeNiro, Usher, Chris Rock, Ed Norton, Kelly Hu, and several others. Many of these celebrity endorsements helped Obama clinch the Democratic nomination from his opponent Hillary Clinton. Obama was elected the first Black President of the United States on November 4th, 2008. During the campaign, Penn was a member of Obama's National Arts Policy Committee, advising the future president on his stances related to visual and musical arts.
7 He Quit House To Work For Obama
Penn was offered a job in the White House Office of Public Engagement and Intergovernal Affairs. The Department's names and duties vary from administration to administration, but under President Obama, the department was a public liaison office that sought to be a go-between for the White House and various interest groups. Penn was named Associate Director for the Office of Public Engagement. According to CNN, part of Penn's responsibilities was outreach and engagement with Asian and Pacific Islander communities and various arts communities. However, for Penn to take up the job, he would have to quit his other gig as a permanent cast member of House starring Hugh Laurie. Penn's character was killed off by a tragic suicide, which shocked fans and started a needed dialogue about the invisibility of clinical depression.
6 He Was Made Fun Of By Obama
Love him or hate him, it can't be denied that Obama likes a good joke. He will gladly get in on jokes about the ridiculous conspiracies about him, like his birth certificate or his use of dijon mustard (yes, someone on Fox News actually got mad about that.) So it's no surprise that the 44th president liked to rib his employees a little too.
According to Penn, both Barack and his wife Michelle got a laugh that Penn applied for his job via the White House website when he could have sought out the president personally, they were already working together quite closely on the campaign after all. But Penn is a man of integrity, and he did not want people to think that he was, "as someone who was leveraging what modest artistic fame he had to get a serious job in the administration by making endless rounds of phone calls." He added that he wanted the job based on merit, not connections.
5 He Almost Didn't Work For Obama
However, those connections were still needed to get him the job. Penn did not hear from the administration for two months after he applied. The only reason he got word back was that during a chance meeting with Michelle Obama, Penn's agent reminded the president his client applied for a job. The first lady playfully chastised the actor for not flagging his application, like his fellow campaigners who were hired before he had. There is a lesson here for all job-seekers out there, don't be afraid to mention that you applied for the gig.
4 What Did He Accomplish?
It is hard to say what he accomplished as a member of the administration. For one thing, jobs like his are collaborative so any achievement would not just be his own but that of himself and many others. That said, during the presidency of Barack Obama the country saw a steady increase in non-white representation in government and an increase in public investment in the arts. Both of those things fell drastically when Obama was replaced by Donald Trump. Penn and many others from the Obama administration that were still on presidential committees resigned in 2017 in protest of Trump's response to the white supremacist rally in Charlottesville that killed antifascist protester Heather Hayer.
3 What He's Done Since
Penn never officially quit acting. In fact, he took a sabbatical in 2010 while working for Obama to film a third Harold and Kumar movie. He returned to work after the film was complete. Penn later served as a co-chair on Obama's 2012 reelection campaign, and later was appointed to the President's Committee on the Arts and Humanities in 2013, where he remained until 2017. He was also the master of ceremonies at the 2014 White House Student Film Festival. Penn also campaigned for Bernie Sanders in the 2016 primary and Joe Biden in the 2020 general election. He has been a guest lecturer at multiple universities ever since leaving office, and yes, he is back to acting.
2 Will He Ever Return To Politics?
Whether or not Penn will ever serve in a federal capacity ever again remains to be seen but Penn never really left politics. Although he is back to acting, he has spoken in many interviews about his political views. He also campaigned for his candidate of choice in 2016, though in 2020 he seemed torn between supporting Pete Buttigieg, Liz Warren, or Bernie Sanders once again. In both 2016 and 2020, he campaigned for the nominated candidate whether or not he had supported them in the primary. There are plenty of jobs he could take up for President Biden or future presidents that he is qualified for. Penn holds degrees in both film and sociology.
1 Celebrities In Politics
Penn is a unique entry in the long history of the intertwining of politics and celebrities. Most stars either campaign for candidates, like how Danny Devito or Danny Glover did for Bernie Sanders, or they run for office themselves, like Clay Aiken, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Donald Trump, and Caitlyn Jenner. Although most who run tend to fail, save for Schwarzenegger who easily won his reelection. Penn however was one of the few stars to take an official job with an administration.
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