Mr. (Kal) Penn Goes to Washington

As this columnist originally suspected, actor Kal Penn requested to be written off Fox’s hit medical drama “House” to pursue opportunity elsewhere, but not in the entertainment industry. Rather than leaving the Golden Globe-winning series to do a movie or another show, Penn has accepted a position in the White House working for President Barack Obama.

Penn will serve as an associate director in the Office of Public Liaison as one of the Obama administration’s links to the Asian community of the United States, according to reports by Entertainment Weekly and the Associated Press. Being an Obama supporter, the position is no doubt the opportunity of a lifetime for Penn, hence his request to leave “House” and the sudden and tragic suicide of his popular character on the show. Contrary to speculation that Penn’s ethnicity contributed to his character’s expendability, it turns out that his ethnicity is what has made him an asset as a public figure to President Obama’s connection with his Asian constituency, thus causing Penn’s talents to be needed away from the set of “House.”

I wonder if President Obama ever watched Penn play Lawrence Kutner on “House.” I can’t say if Obama has ever tuned into the medical mystery, but according to a report by Politico, the President makes sure he never misses “Entourage.”