>> Stephen: WELCOME BACK, EVERYBODY.
WELCOME BACK, FOLKS. LADIES AND GENTLEMEN,
MY GUEST TONIGHT IS AN ACTOR YOU KNOW FROM
"HAROLD AND KUMAR," "HOUSE,"
AND "DESIGNATED SURVIVOR." PLEASE WELCOME BACK
TO "THE LATE SHOW," KAL PENN. ♪ ♪
>> Kal: THANK YOU. >> Stephen: NICE TO SEE YOU
AGAIN. >> Kal: HOW ARE YOU, NICE TO
SEE YOU. >> Stephen: I WANT TO KNOW HOW
YOU'RE DOING BECAUSE IN TWO WEEKS ARE GOING TO BE HOSTING
"THE DAILY SHOW" FOR A WEEK AND HOW ARE YOU FEELING ABOUT THAT?
THAT'S A FUN GIG. >> Kal: IT'S A DREAM JOB.
I CAN'T BELIEVE THAT I AM SITTING HERE WITH YOU OF ALL
PEOPLE GETTING TO TALK ABOUT IT. >> Stephen: YOU ARE NOT JUST
GUESTING? >> Kal: I HAVE SPENT MY CAREER
BEING HUMBLE AND PUTTING MY HEAD DOWN AND ALL THAT AND NOW I'M
LIKE, THIS IS A JOB I WANT. I WANT PEOPLE TO KNOW I WANT THE
JOB. OBVIOUSLY.
IT'S AN INCREDIBLE OPPORTUNITY. I AM EXCITED TO GUEST HOST BUT
IF OFFERED THE PERMANENT GAIN COME OFF COURSE I WOULD TAKE IT.
IT WOULD BE A DREAM JOB. >> Stephen: HAVE YOU SOUGHT
ANY ADVICE FROM ANYONE OF THE PREVIOUS HOSTS?
>> Kal: I RAN INTO JON STEWART AT THE KNICKS GAME A COUPLE
WEEKS AGO AND I DID ASK, HEY, I AM GUEST POSTING.
ANY ADVICE? HE SAID ONE OF THE GREATEST
THINGS AND A TESTAMENT TO HOW LOVED THAT SHOW IS, FIRST HE
SAID JUST BE YOURSELF AND HAVE FUN.
AND THEN SPENT THE REST OF THE TIME TALKING ABOUT HOW
INCREDIBLE THE SHOWRUNNER OF THE WRITERS AND THE CREW OF THE
WHOLE TEAM ARE WHICH REALLY SHOWS YOU A LOVE FOR THE
FRANCHISE THAT MADE ME EVEN MORE EXCITED.
NOW YOU ASKED ME THAT QUESTION, I SHOULD ASK YOU FOR ADVICE.
>> Stephen: I AUDITIONED FOR THAT SHOW IN 1999 AND THEY GAVE
IT TO JON STEWART. I WORK FOR CRAIG KILBURN.
I WAS THERE BEFORE JON. FOR THE RECORD, I WAS THERE
FIRST. I LICKED THAT DOUGHNUT AND THEY
WIPED IT OFF AND GAVE IT TO JON THE WRITERS AND PRODUCERS ARE
AMAZING. THE EXECUTIVE SHOWRUNNER IS
INCREDIBLE. YOU WILL BE GREAT.
TALK ABOUT THE THINGS YOU ACTUALLY WANT TO TALK ABOUT.
DON'T FAKE IT. >> Kal: NO FAKING IT.
I GREW UP ON THAT SHOW. I'M A BIG FAN OF SATIRE AND
COMEDY. >> Stephen: YOU GREW UP ON THE
ACTUAL? >> Kal: LATE HIGH SCHOOL,
EARLY COLLEGE. I WASN'T 7 YEARS OLD.
I'M NOT THAT YOUNG. THIS IS GOING SO POORLY ALREADY.
MY BACKGROUND IS COMEDY. THAT'S MY FIRST LOVE AND HAVE A
HAVE A CHANCE TO TAKE A SABBATICAL AND WORK IN POLITICS,
I WOULD LOVE TO BE ABLE TO MERGE THOSE TWO TOGETHER IN A FUN
COMEDY SHOW. >> Stephen: YOU HAVE A CRAZY
CV IN THAT REGARD. FOR PEOPLE WHO DON'T KNOW, YOU
ARE KNOWN AS A POPULAR ACTOR AND THEN YOU WENT AND WORKED FOR THE
OBAMA WHITE HOUSE. HOW LONG WERE YOU THERE?
>> Kal: TWO AND A HALF YEARS. >> Stephen: A GOOD CHUNK.
>> Kal: THANK YOU. >> Stephen: WHAT WAS THAT
TRANSITION LIKE FOR YOU? >> Kal: WELL, THERE WERE SOME
LEARNING CURVES. I REMEMBER PROBABLY MY THIRD DAY
AT THE WHITE HOUSE, I WAS CCED ON A BIG EMAIL CHAIN WITH THE
NATIONAL SECURITY COUNCIL AND IN GOVERNMENT, EVERYTHING IS
SPELLED OUT AND THEN IT'S ACRONYMS FOR THE REST OF THE
EMAIL AND I LEARNED THIS THE HARD WAY.
THE EMAIL SAID KAL, WE NEED YOU TO KNOW ABOUT THE MORO ISLAMIC
LIBERATION FRONT AND IN PARENTHESES IT SAID MILF.
TRUE STORY. THE REST OF THE EMAIL SAID MILK
IS CONSIDERED HIGHLY DANGEROUS, RECRUITS YOUNG MEN.
WITHOUT THINKING, I THOUGHT THIS WAS THE GREATEST THING, I HIT
REPLY ALL AND I WROTE SOMETHING LIKE "THE MAIN TERROR GROUP, THE
MILFS, AMAZING." AS SOON AS I HIT SEND, I THOUGHT
IT'S NOT A WRITERS ROOM! IT'S THE NATIONAL SECURITY
COUNCIL. THERE WAS SILENCE ON THE EMAIL
CHAIN. IN THE HALLWAY, PEOPLE RELY,
THAT IS SO FUNNY. BUT NOT ON THE RECORD.
THERE WAS A LEARNING CURVE BUT I DO FEEL LIKE MAYBE IT PREPPED ME
FOR THIS COMING COUPLE WEEKS. >> Stephen: WE HAVE TO TAKE A
QUICK BREAK BUT STICK AROUND. WE'LL BE BACK WITH MORE KAL