Kal Penn Says He's 'Still Interested' in Possibly Taking Over for Jon Stewart on "The Daily Show "(Exclusive)
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The actor explained to PEOPLE why potentially stepping in for Stewart would be a tantalizing opportunity
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Kal Penn in Los Angeles, California in March 2024.If Jon Stewart stepped away from The Daily Show, Kal Penn certainly wouldn't mind taking his place.
At the Global Citizens Festival on Saturday, Sept. 28, Penn, 47, explained his dream of one day hosting The Daily Show. Stewart returned in February almost nine years after his exit, with plans of appearing on Mondays through the presidential election. He also serves as an executive producer.
"I had the chance to guest host two weeks on The Daily Show last season so we'll see," Penn told PEOPLE at the event. "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]."
Related: Kal Penn to Play Anna Nicole Smith's Doctor in Movie About Model's Shocking Death at 39
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Kal Penn and his fiancé Josh in New York City in March 2019."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 expressed a desire to potentially star 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. Fans are required to take action to end extreme poverty to get free tickets to the event. Along with Penn, Post Malone, Doja Cat, LISA, Rauw Alejandro, Jelly Roll, RAYE, Benson Boone, Hugh Jackman were among this year's attendees.
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Speaking on the significance of the initiative, Penn told PEOPLE, "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."
The actor has otherwise kept busy, with several projects in the works. He will star in and executive produce 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. Due out later this year, Penn plays Dr. Kapoor, Smith's physician during her final days. (The model and actress died of an accidental overdose in 2007 at age 39.)
Earlier this year, Penn voiced the role of Zinzan (Jinzan) in the English dub of the Japanese animation film The Imaginary on Netflix.
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