You Can't Be Serious

By: Kal Penn

Narrated by: Kal Penn

The star of the Harold and Kumar franchise, House, and Designated Survivor recounts why he rejected the advice of his aunties and guidance counselors and, instead of becoming a doctor or “something practical,” embarked on a surprising journey that has included confronting racism in Hollywood, meeting his future husband, and working in the Obama administration, in this “incredibly joyful and insightful” (Kiefer Sutherland) memoir.

You Can’t Be Serious is a series of funny, consequential, awkward, and ridiculous stories from Kal Penn’s idiosyncratic life. It’s about being the grandson of Gandhian freedom fighters, and the son of immigrant parents: people who came to this country with very little and went very far—and whose vision of the American dream probably never included their son sliding off an oiled-up naked woman in the raunchy Ryan Reynolds movie Van Wilder…or getting a phone call from Air Force One as Kal flew with the country’s first Black president.

“By turns hilarious, poignant, and inspiring” (David Axelrod, New York Times bestselling author), Kal reflects on the most exasperating and rewarding moments from his journey so far. He pulls back the curtain on the nuances of opportunity and racism in the entertainment industry and recounts how he built allies, found encouragement, and dealt with early reminders that he might never fit in. He describes his initially unpromising first date with his now-fiancé Josh, involving an 18-pack of Coors Light and an afternoon of watching NASCAR. And of course, he reveals how, after a decade and a half of fighting for and enjoying successes in Hollywood, he made the terrifying but rewarding decision to take a sabbatical from a fulfilling acting career for an opportunity to serve his country as an Obama White House aide.

Above all, You Can’t Be Serious shows that everyone can have more than one life story. The book “is insightful, funny, and instructive for anyone who’s ever grappled with how they fit into the American dream” (Ronan Farrow, New York Times bestselling author), and demonstrates that no matter who you are and where you come from, you have many more choices than those presented to you. And okay, yes, it’s also about how Kal accidentally (and very stupidly) accepted an invitation to take the entire White House Office of Public Engagement to a strip club—because, let’s be honest, that’s the kind of stuff you really want to hear about.

©2021 Bhai, Inc. All rights reserved. (P)2021 Simon & Schuster Inc. All rights reserved.

Critic reviews

"Penn has created a unique, honest performance, very different from the standard celebrity tell-all. This is an enjoyable and informative listen delivered by a pop-culture figure who's all grown up." — AudioFile Magazine

Who would have known, I didn't

I enjoyed it to the end. Not sure why I decided to read about Kal Penn, I've seen him in a couple of movies and was impressed, but, I'm glad I did. it was a good read learning about him, his struggles, his success, his life.

Funny, Honest, and Very Entertaining!

Kal Penn nails it! I hated that the ride had to end. It gives you all the feelscand the funny, and provides such an honest look at Kal's amazing life. Bravo!

kal Penn is extremely smart and funny...

Enjoyed this book. definitely pick this up! you wint regret it... Thank you... 😊

Kal Penn is so likable!

And so is his story. Listening to him find balance in his life between all of his passions, all while keeping a sense of humor, was very enjoyable. I found myself emotional when he talked about his experience with the Obama campaign. Absolutely a fun read that will actually leave you with some knowledge too.

Kal Penn is so hilarious

I thought it was well written, heartfelt, serious, but funny. Well done dude. Thanks!

So good!

I loved this. The insider stories from the Obama White House, the stories of racism in the industry, all of it — worth a listen.

Hilarious and engaging!

I wasn't a MASSIVE fan of Kal's but enjoyed some of his work. This was a wonderful and engaging story, told in a well paced way. I didn't want it to end and now I'm a fan and I'm going back to watch many of his movies I missed over the years.

Loved this book!

Kal Penn told an absolutely wonderful story and hearing it in his voice made it all the better. His introspective observations and explanations were insightful and very often laugh-out-loud funny. This is one I look forward to listening to again.

Another great performance from Kal Penn

Really great read. As an Indian American a lot of the anecdotes and stories were familiar and resonated with me. It was also eye opening to see how people of color are and were treated in Hollywood. Clearly we all still have a long way to go.

Learned a lot of new things in this book (like Sunnyside even existed!! WTF NBC I would have watched that if I knew about it) and was reminded of the troubles in my own youth growing up brown in a small town that was 80%+ white.

Great read and I hope for continued success to Kal.

Great book

The fact that he reads the book himself makes it waaaay more interesting. Great book great listen. Would totally recommend.