Kal Penn recalls escort service mix-up when he started dating men: ‘In retrospect, I’m very curious’

Actor came out as gay in 2021

Kal Penn has recalled how an innocent request for dating advice landed him into an awkward situation.

The comedian, 45, said the incident occurred early in his career, after he came out to a manager and was searching for advice on how “actors meet nice people to date”.

The Harold and Kumar star, who is currently engaged to his long-term partner Josh, told Kelly Ripa on the Let’s Talk Off Camera podcast that he had wanted to know how dating as an actor worked.

“How do you know that somebody that you’re dating wants to date you for you? What are the ground rules here, and is it any different?” he said.

To Penn’s surprise, his manager quickly set him up for lunch with a producer who was also gay to talk about dating as an actor.

“[The producer] goes, ‘Yeah, I mean, I’m just gonna email you a list just of some guys and their photos’,” the actor recalled. “And I’m like, ‘Whoa, that’s so cool! Playing matchmaker already’. And he goes, ‘Yeah, and you know, they’re not that expensive and they’re never gonna say anything’.”

It was at this point that Penn, a former White House employee, realised there was a misunderstanding between them.

“I was like, ‘Sorry, I think you don’t understand. No disrespect to sex workers, but that’s not what I’m looking for. My question to you is, how do I meet a nice guy, go on a couple of dates?’” he clarified.

Unfortunately, the unnamed producer’s answer was disappointing. “He goes, ‘I don’t know anything about that’.”

Penn said he told the producer not to send him the list of names. “In retrospect, I’m very curious”, he told Ripa.

The Designated Survivor star came out in 2021, revealing that he was engaged to Josh, his partner of 13 years.

He first opened up about his relationship in his memoir, You Can’t Be Serious. In a later interview with People, Penn said he discovered his sexuality “later in life” and he was “fortunate” to have been “supported by everyone”.

“There’s no timeline on this stuff. People figure their s*** out at different times in their lives, so I’m glad I did when I did,” he said.