Kal Penn has expressed continued interest in taking over as host of The Daily Show if and when Jon Stewart steps away.
Stewart returned in February almost nine years after his exit and plans to continue hosting on Mondays through the presidential election. He also serves as an executive producer.
Penn spoke to People at the Global Citizens Festival on Saturday, Sept. 28, when he opened up about where he stands on possibly hosting the Comedy Central talk show.
“I had the chance to guest host two weeks on The Daily Show last season so we’ll see,” said Penn. “They say Jon is back for one season. The fanboy part of me is like I hope Jon stays on The Daily Show, because I’m such a fan and I grew up on [it].”
“Then the agent part is when your team calls and is like, ‘Jon may be leaving after the election. Are you still interested in this job?’ ” he continued. “I’m like, ‘Yes, of course! I’m still interested in that job!’ There’s a lot of fun stuff happening. Any time we’re around an election, it’s so tense, so what I love about what I do in the comedy space is you have the chance to do the opposite of like, the stress.”
Penn also talked about whether or not he would be interested in potentially starring in a fourth Harold & Kumar film. The third installment, A Very Harold & Kumar Christmas, costarring John Cho, premiered almost 13 years ago. “I would love to do that if it works out,” Penn added.
The annual Global Citizen Festival‘s mission is to “defeat poverty, defend the planet and demand equity,” per its website. To score free tickets to the event, fans must take specific actions on the website that aim to help end extreme poverty. Post Malone, Doja Cat, LISA, Rauw Alejandro, Jelly Roll, RAYE, Benson Boone, and Hugh Jackman also appeared at the event.
Speaking about the initiative, Penn said, “It also comes with important partnerships and the idea that wherever governments or leaders have failed us, there’s pressure from the private sector and people to figure out how to get the money and how to support what nonprofits are doing to make sure we’re alleviating poverty. That concept alone is really important to support.”
Penn’s next role will be in the film Trust Me, I’m a Doctor, based on the 2017 book “Trust Me, I’m A Doctor: My Life Before, During and After Anna Nicole Smith” by Dr. Sandeep Kapoor. Penn plays Dr. Kapoor, Smith’s physician at the time of her accidental overdose, in the film in which he also serves as executive producer.
One of the actor and comedian’s most recent gigs was as the voice of Zinzan (Jinzan) in the English dub of the Japanese animation film The Imaginary on Netflix.
The post Kal Penn Says He’s ‘Still Interested’ In Hosting ‘The Daily Show’ After Jon Stewart appeared first on Decider.
