President Biden will appear on “The Daily Show” with special guest host Kal Penn
The ‘Harold & Kumar’ actor kicks off his week at the Comedy Central show with a discussion of marriage equality and LGBTQ rights with the president.
President Biden is a special guest on The Daily Show to start Kal Penn’s week.
Notably, Biden’s appearance on The Daily Show on March 13 is his first since taking office. It’s also a big flex for Penn, who has been open about wanting the Daily Show gig on a full-time basis. Penn recently appeared on The Late Show and said to Stephen Colbert, “It’s a dream job. “After spending my entire career being modest, keeping my head down, and doing all of that, I’m now like, ‘This is a job I want. I want the job, and I want people to know it.
Since Trevor Noah resigned in December, a rotating cast of guest hosts has occupied the position, including Chelsea Handler, Leslie Jones, and Marlon Wayans. Penn has the advantage of having spent time in both the White House and Hollywood during his career. He spent more than two years working for the Obama administration’s office of public engagement, despite the fact that he is arguably best known for his roles in the stoner comedy series Harold & Kumar, House, and Designated Survivor.
To be sure, this was not Penn’s first time interviewing Biden, and their comfort level together at the White House was on display as the two discussed marriage equality and what “the federal government might be able to do to protect LGBTQ Americans, especially trans kids, who are dealing with all of these regressive state laws that are popping up.” In fact, Penn prefaced his question to the president by noting that he’d been engaged to his partner, Josh, for the last five years, which, he noted, “really only means that every auntie and uncle that I have is beyond disappointed that there hasn’t been a wedding.”
Biden detailed his “epiphany,” recounting a moment late in high school, when, in his father’s company, young Biden witnessed two men kissing for the first time. He recalls his dad turning to him and saying, “Joey, it’s simple, they love each other.” Biden insisted that he’s maintained that “it’s simple” outlook ever since, adding, “Doesn’t matter whether it’s same-sex or a heterosexual couple, they should be able to be married. What is the problem? So, listen to your auntie and uncle, get married. Do it now.”
Turning more serious, he added that what’s going on with trans kids in Florida is, as his mother would say, “close to sinful.” He continued, “It’s not like a kid wakes up one morning and says, ‘You know, I decided I want to become a man or a woman.’ I mean, what are they thinking about here? They’re human beings. They love, they have feelings, they have inclinations. I don’t know, it’s cruel, and the way we do it is we make sure we pass legislation like we passed with same-sex marriage. You mess with that, you’re breaking the law and you’re going to be held accountable.”