Kal Penn

Awards & Honours

Awards Won

Honours

Rankings

Covers

Records

Kal Penn's career includes a rare combination of entertainment and public service. He served as Associate Director in the White House Office of Public Engagement under President Obama, one of the few actors to hold a senior government role. His memoir You Can't Be Serious made the New York Times bestseller list. He was named to TIME's 100 Most Influential People in 2021 and received the Human Rights Campaign Visibility Award for LGBTQ+ advocacy. He also teaches at the University of Pennsylvania as a visiting lecturer.

AwardsPenn has won awards for both his acting and advocacy. He received the Special Jury Prize at Slamdance for his short film The Last Full Measure (2004) and Best Actor at the South Asian International Film Festival for The Namesake (2007). The Human Rights Campaign gave him the Visibility Award in 2021. He also won a GLAAD Media Award for Kal Penn Approves This Message (2021) and an Asian American Media Award in 2022.

Honours & Distinctions

White House Service

White House Office of Public Engagement·2009

Served as Associate Director under President Barack Obama.

Visiting Lecturer

University of Pennsylvania·2021

Appointed as Visiting Lecturer in Cinema Studies.

New York Times Bestseller

New York Times·2021

Memoir 'You Can't Be Serious' made the bestseller list.

Rankings & Lists

#Listed

100 Most Influential People in the World

TIME Magazine·2021

#Listed

Out100

Out Magazine·2021

Magazine Covers

People Magazine

November 2021

Kal Penn: I'm Ready to Be Open

The Advocate

2021

Kal Penn: The Actor, Author, and Activist on Coming Out and Living His Truth

Variety

2019

Kal Penn's Sunnyside and the Fight for Asian American Representation

Records & Feats

First actor to serve as Associate Director in the White House Office of Public Engagement

Career Milestone·2009

Penn left his acting career to work in the Obama administration, a rare transition from Hollywood to government.