A number of characters have been killed over the course of the game House MD, but the most sudden and shocking case of death came when Dr. Lawrence Kutner (Kal Penn) committed suicide in Season 5, Episode 20, “Simple Explanation.” Kutner is introduced in Season 4 as one of a large group of applicants who are forced by Dr. Gregory House (Hugh Laurie) to compete for a limited number of consulting positions. Why did Kutner kill himself? House MD? Although he was fired and rehired several times during the competition, Kutner eventually made the final cut, along with Dr. Remy “Thirteen” Hadley (Olivia Wilde) and Dr. Chris Taub (Peter Jacobson).
Intelligent and passionate about his work, Kutner showed no outward signs of depression as he and his colleagues solved mysteries with Sherlock Holmes himself, Doctor House. In “Simple Explanation”, after Kutner fails to show up to work, Thirteen and Foreman (Omar Epps) go to his apartment and find him dead from a gunshot wound to the head. But why did Kutner kill himself? House MDAnd why did it come out of nowhere? Other than leaving Kodi House MD Prior to the final season, Kutner’s untimely death was one of the most shocking events in the medical series. In the end, Dr. House learns to accept that Kutner committed suicide and there may be no real explanation for it. Off screen, there was actually little explanation as to why actor Kal Penn left the show.
The house killed Kutner because Kal Penn wanted to leave the show
Why did Kutner kill himself? Ultimately, that’s because actor Kal Penn left House MD For a different kind of house – the white house. speaking in an interview (via NPR), Penn recalled that his colleague Olivia Wilde invited him to an event for then-US Senator Barack Obama during the 2007 Democratic primary. At the time, Penn had read Obama’s book but was not interested in getting involved in politics. But his presence changed his mind:
I went to this event with [Wilde]really like it…[and] He was infatuated enough with his campaign. So I’m going to do three days in Iowa before the caucuses…and then he wins! And there was the opportunity to serve in the White House, and … you know, what would you say, “No Mr. President, I have another great movie to make?”
Ben was offered a position as Assistant Director in the White House Office of Public Engagement in early 2009. The job offer was the ultimate reason he broke House MD contract, which led to a difficult conversation with the show. speaking in an interview (via EW)Ben mentioned:
“We had a very long discussion. And I remember David [Shore] Saying, “Are you telling me you’re unhappy with the show and want to leave so you can go off and do a different show?” And I said, “Not at all. I’m actually saying the exact opposite, which is that I’m having a great time, but there’s something aching inside me to do something completely different and take a break from acting for a while. With their blessing, we were able to work it out.”
After serving two years in the White House, he left Penn in 2011 and joined how i met your mother in a recurring role. Finally returned to House MD In the eighth season series finale, “Everybody Dies”, in 2012 – she appears as one of Dr. House’s hallucinations, which also involved Dr. Cuddy – who also left the show. However, as House drives through Cuddy’s living room after their breakup, he explains why Cuddy left a house, Kutner’s death remains largely a mystery.
Why did Kutner kill himself? The lack of explanation was the point
Although Kutner’s death wasn’t the first time a major television personality had committed suicide, it was unique in that there was no real answer to the question, “Why did Kutner kill himself?” Kutner did not leave a series of tapes detailing the thirteen reasons for his suicide. He would simply show up to business as usual one episode and leave the next. when asked in EW Interviewing why they simply didn’t get Kutner to work at another hospital, House MD Writer David Shore explained:Suicide was necessary to [the story]. It was the lack of a reason behind it — the lack of answers — that I responded to that got me excited.“
House never finding a diagnosis or cause of Kutner’s death by suicide was a key part of the story, because House is the guy who’s supposed to see it all. Shure mode:
“We wanted a character who didn’t make sense — or didn’t superficially make sense. Obviously there are reasons, but the idea that reasons are too complex for House to figure it out is what draws us to my liking for the fact that Kutner is the person least likely to do that.” It’s a question of, “Do we know anyone? You’ve been working with someone for two years, but do you really know them?”
Had Ben not received the job offer he received and made the decision to leave House MD Cast Kutner could easily have continued to be a major part of the show for years afterward. However, his passing paved the way for one of the show’s most memorable and thought-provoking deaths.
What Cal Bin has done since the house
Like many of his former classmates, Ben kept busy after that House MD I finish. Obviously, he’s been busy with his job in the Obama administration, but that didn’t stop Kal Penn from acting. He left his White House position briefly in 2009 to photograph A Very Harold & Kumar 3D Christmasthen again in 2011 to accept a recurring role in how i met your mother.
In addition to these roles, Ben has also played the role of Seth Wright on Netflix designated survivor (He also offered to act as his advisor.) In 2019, he appeared in the sitcom bright sideHe had a recurring role in The Big Bang Theory As Dr. Kevin Campbell, and played by Shaan Tripathi in the 2021 series Clarice. The actor even has a short political debate called Cal Bin approves of this letter. However, for many, Kal Penn’s role (and shocking death) persisted a house MD It remains one of his most memorable pictures.
Why Kal Penn left the White House and returned to acting
Although he began his term in the White House under President Obama, Kal Penn was still a member of the President’s Committee on the Arts and Humanities during Donald Trump’s time in office, and this is what eventually led him to leave the White House for good and return to acting. . After the 2017 Unite the Right Rally in Charlottesville, Virginia (which saw members of several far-right groups convene to protest the removal of the Robert E. Lee statue), former President Donald Trump infamously made the comment that “There are very good people on both sides. ” This led to much of the Arts and Humanities Commission, including Cal Penn, resigning in protest, as they condemned the response of the then-chairman, who inadequately denounced the bigotry and blatant racism of the demonstration and even expressed some support for its members. Ben had long since left House MD By this point, however, his resignation from the White House prompted him to return to more acting work.
