Tony Dejak / AP Photo
House fans were shocked last night when Kutner, played by Kal Penn, committed suicide. But little did they know that Penn, who also plays Kumar in the Harold and Kumar movies, was offed by the show’s producers at his own request—because he’s accepted a post as associate director in the White House’s Office of Public Liaison. The new job will require Penn, a serious campaigner for Obama during election season, to develop art programs in communities for the administration. He’ll be taking a big pay cut, of course, but is excited about the new job—which means a hiatus from acting, and most likely an official sayonara to Harold and Kumar. “I’ve been thinking about [moving into politics] for a while,” he said. “I love what I do as an actor. I couldn’t love it more. But probably from the time I was a kid, I really enjoyed that balance between the arts and public service.”