Kal Penn has announced that he is gay and revealed that he is engaged to his partner of 11 years, Josh.

The actor and former White House staff member - who is perhaps best known for his roles in the Harold and Kumar movies and the TV shows House and How I Met Your Mother - revealed the happy news in his new memoir, You Can't Be Serious.

Penn writes: "I've always been very public with everybody I've personally interacted with. Whether it's somebody that I meet at a bar, if Josh and I are out or we're talking to friends.

"I'm really excited to share our relationship with readers."

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Further explaining why he has kept his romantic life private from his fans for so long, he added: "Josh, my partner, my parents, and my brother, four people who I'm closest to in the family, are fairly quiet. They don't love attention and shy away from the limelight."

In an interview with People, Penn spoke candidly about his sexuality, saying: "I discovered my own sexuality relatively late in life compared to many other people. 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."

Detailing the couple's first date in his new book, Penn reveals that first met Josh while he was working for the Obama Administration as the Principal Associate Director of the White House Office of Public Engagement.

He said that on their first date, Josh came to his apartment with an 18-pack of Coors Light and turned on the TV to watch NASCAR.

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"I thought, 'This obviously is not going to work out," Penn writes. "I have one day off from The White House and this dude is unironically watching cars go around and make left turns?

"Next thing you know, it's been a couple months and we're watching NASCAR every Sunday. I'm like, 'What is happening?'"

Penn tells People that the couple are now in the process of deciding whether to have a "big ass Indian wedding", or a smaller affair.

Penn's new book, You Can't Be Serious, will be released on November 2.

Featured image credit: REUTERS / Alamy

'Harold and Kumar' star Kal Penn comes out as gay and reveals he's engaged