'Kumar' goes to White House -- gets job

WASHINGTON -- Actor Kal Penn, who stumped around the country for the Obama presidential campaign, is going to leave Hollywood to work in the Obama White House.

Penn had a recurring role on the Fox TV show "House," but his character killed himself in Monday's episode. The character's reasons were left a mystery to the show's fans, but Penn explained his own decision to EW.com.

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Kal Penn's character in "House" was just killed off. Penn was one of the stars in "Harold and Kumar Go To White Castle."
(FOX/AP)

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Listen to Kal Penn discuss 'House,' the White House

"I thought this might be the right time to go off and do something else," Penn said. "The ultimate irony, of course, is that I love being on 'House.' "

Penn also starred as Kumar in the drug- and raunch-soaked "Harold and Kumar" movies.

Penn, whose parents are Indian-American, will work with the Asian-American and arts communities in the White House Office of Public Liaison.

"They do outreach with the American public and with different organizations," he told EW. "They're basically the front door of the White House. They take out all of the red tape that falls between the general public and the White House."

Lynn Sweet