In the April 6, 2009 episode of House, titled "Simple Explanations," Penn's character Lawrence Kutner is discovered dead in his apartment of a self-inflicted gunshot wound.Blogs for House: Kutner's Dead Season 5 Episode 20 Recap (April 6, 2009) Penn departed the hit series House to accept a position as the Associate Director in the White House Office of Public Liaison.EW: House Exclusive (April 7, 2009)

• Kal Penn was actively involved in the campaign for Barack Obama's bid for US president. In April 2009, Penn's character on House, Lawrence Kutner, was killed off so Penn could depart the show to accept a position with President Barack Obama's administration. As the Associate Director in the White House Office of Public Liaison Penn will be working in the Old Executive Office, a separate building from the White House. Similar to his campaign activities, Penn's position involves reaching out to the American public as well as with organizations to facilitate interactions.EW: House Exclusive (April 7, 2009)

In 2007, he became a regular in the cast of House M.D. and became a visiting professor at the University of Pennsylvania, teaching a course on "Images of Asian Americans in the Media" during spring 2008.