Kal Penn is taking “The Daily Show” on Monday in a big way as guest host: a sit-down interview with President Joe Biden, the president’s first interview on the Comedy Central program since taking office in 2020.
Penn, the actor best known for starring in the “Harold & Kumar” film series, “House” and “Getting Warmer with Tomorrow Penn,” took a step back from Hollywood in 2009 to become an Obama administration White House staffer. .
She recently spoke to TheWrap about her high-profile interview with Biden, why she took the opportunity to merge her backgrounds in comedy and politics, and living her “dream come true” on “The Daily Show.”
“I am very honored that the President of the United States is joining me as my first guest for my first night hosting ‘The Daily Show,'” Penn said. “He was incredibly kind.”
According to Penn, the interview with Biden will focus on the current “decision point” of the United States.
“The whole basis of our democracy is – I don’t want to say in the air because it sounds a bit dramatic. But really the nature of what we know in terms of our decency, our unity, our democracy – those are all things that feel think they are at risk, especially after the last two election cycles,” Penn explained. “I wanted to have a conversation with [President Biden] This kind of focus centers around hope and solutions as opposed to just the doom and gloom stuff.
Penn also recalled feeling frustrated during his time as a White House aide, noting that “the people who were responsible for creating political space for the head of state often didn’t feel rewarded for that work.” Used to do” – specifically citing young people who helped repeal Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell and who supported The Dream Act.
“There are all such youth activists and advocates who never get the attention in the press that I thought not only did they deserve, but it would be really helpful if other young people could hear about it,” she said.
Penn teased that the interview would cover an array of topics, from Biden’s climate legislation, the Stop Willow Project and the Inflation Reduction Act to the president’s journey to support marriage equality and how transgender children are being affected by the law in Florida. A wide range will be covered.
Penn said, “None of his answers were like talking answers.” “He really shared a lot about what goes into making his decisions, which I hope we can share with audiences who may not have had that exposure before.”
Penn revealed that he is “most excited to make audiences laugh in a way that also provides some hope about what is possible when we are truly involved in a civic process.” He said his goal for the upcoming week is to take viewers back to the time “The Daily Show” first aired in 1996.
“For me, the Jon Stewart years were the pinnacle in that it combined my love for completely absurdist comedy with really high-level political chops,” Penn said. “The kind of conversations he had with people were interviews that you couldn’t really get on CNN and obviously not on cable news — that’s the whole point of the satire of the show. The level of intimacy in those interviews. , I’ve always appreciated. And the comedy, translated through Trevor, who put his own spin on the show,” he added. “I’m looking forward to taking you back to the age of 19, which Will tune into Jon Stewart to laugh sarcastically at the news, but then also to watch some in-depth interviews that I know I couldn’t watch anywhere else.
In addition to Penn, “The Daily Show” rotation of guest hosts has included Leslie Jones, Wanda Sykes, DL Hughley, Chelsea Hidler, Sarah Silverman, Hasan Minhaj and Marlon Wayans. Other recurring guest hosts include Al Franken and John Leguizamo.
“I’m a big fan of the people who have hosted so far, in fact the entire guest host lineup,” Penn said. “I just couldn’t believe I was in the company of these incredible people, and it’s also great to see how they each bring their own thing.”
If given the opportunity, Penn said he would “love” to be the host of “The Daily Show” permanently.
“I got a chance to pre-tape some sketches and my [interview with President Biden], I can make as many stupid jokes as I want and they’re not going to laugh at what they don’t find funny, so it’s not a yes man situation,” he said. “But I can say whatever I want and we can have high-level political talks in the same place. Usually, I had to juggle two different jobs to do those things. So the idea that this is all in one job, yeah, I’d absolutely love to host… I just hope I’m the guy who gets the permanent gig. Absolutely.”
“The Daily Show” airs at 11 p.m. ET on Comedy Central. Watch a preview of Penn’s interview with Biden in the video above.
