Choices We Made: Earth or Space? (with Kal Penn)
From Choice Words with Samantha Bee by Lemonada Media
June 4, 2026 · 54 min · Episode 250
About this episode
Kal Penn joins Samantha Bee to discuss decision making, politics, and the merits of space travel.
Actor and former Obama White House staffer Kal Penn joins Sam to talk about how he doesn’t make calculated decisions and hates when people suggest he makes a decision tree. They unpack the hope of last week’s elections and his serendipitous decades-long connection to Zohran Mamdani. He explains how every job he’s ever said yes to has turned into subsequent exciting opportunities that have all been meant to be. They wonder if his former job in the White House even exists anymore, talk about the destruction of the East Wing, and the importance of older leaders training their replacements. Plus they argue about the merits of space travel and if we should leave earth or stay on the ground forever. "Here We Go Again” is distributed by iHeartPodcasts and is available on the iHeartRadio app and everywhere podcasts now. Keep up with Samantha Bee @realsambee on Instagram and X. And stay up to date with us @LemonadaMedia on X, Facebook, and Instagram. For a list of current sponsors and discount codes for this and every other Lemonada show, go to lemonadamedia.com/sponsors. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
People in this episode
Host: Samantha Bee
Guest: Kal Penn
Topics covered
- decision making
- politics
- space travel
- opportunities
- leadership
- elections
Keywords
- Kal Penn
- Samantha Bee
- decision tree
- Obama White House
- space travel
- elections
- leadership
- opportunities
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: Obama White House, iHeartPodcasts, Lemonada Media, iHeartRadio, omnystudio.com, megaphone.fm
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