Although it’s been known for a while that Harold & Kumar and House actor Kal Penn was leaving acting behind to take up a job in the White House, it’s now been announced that he’s officially started in his new position as Obama’s liaison officer between the White House and Asian communities.
He was meant to start the job a while ago, but things were delayed to give a bit more time between his shocking departure from House at the beginning of the year and his new, more political role. However apparently enough time has now passed and Penn enjoyed his first day as an associate director in the Office Of Public Liaison yesterday (July 6th, 2009).
While many see Penn’s appointment as a bit of a publicity stunt, he was incredibly active during Obama’s Presidential run and pushed heavily for a role in politics, feeling that was where he wanted to be, even if it meant a huge pay cut from what he made on House. However it’s tough to imagine George W Bush appointing anyone who’d starred in the Harold And Kumar movies.
Please note, the image we’ve used is not taken from Penn’s first day at the White House.