‘Harold & Kumar’ star Kal Penn reveals engagement

Actor Kal Penn announced he is engaged to his partner of 11 years, People reported.

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Penn, 44, a star of the “Harold & Kumar” franchise and “Designated Survivor,” met Josh -- whose last name has not been revealed -- while he was working for the Obama administration in Washington, the magazine reported.

Penn revealed the details of how the couple met in his upcoming book, “You Can’t Be Serious,” according to The Hollywood Reporter.

Penn told People that he wanted to talk about the relationship but held off because Josh and his family did not want the publicity.

“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 told the magazine. “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.”

In his book, which arrives in stores on Tuesday, Penn talks about his first date and how he figured the relationship would never take off. He said Josh arrived at his apartment with an 18-pack of Coors Light and switched the television channel to watch a NASCAR event, People reported.

“I thought, ‘This obviously is not going to work out,” Penn told the magazine. “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?’ I wanted the reader to enjoy the love and the humor through all of those stories.

“The whole point of writing this book was for the reader to feel like we’re having a beer together,” Penn added. “I thought, ‘If we’re supposed to feel like we’re having a beer together, then I want to take you into my stories and I want you to experience them with the same joy that I’ve experienced them.’ That was the way that my friends have met my parents and Josh, as they’ve gotten to know them over the last 10 years.”

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