Kal Penn to star in FX's Belated, a comedy pilot about a man who comes out in his 40s

Deadline

Penn, who at age 44 recently came out as gay, will star in Rescue Me co-creator Peter Tolan's comedy pilot, playing  Owen, a recently out man in his 40s. The show will follow Owen and his ex-wife as they try to find their new normal and take on new relationships while continuing to co-parent together. Belated will also focus on Owen's intergenerational friendship with a 17-year-old trans teen. "This is a personal project for both Tolan, who came out as gay later in life, and Penn, 44, who came out a couple of weeks ago, announcing his engagement to his partner of 11 years in his memoir You Can’t Be Serious, published on Nov. 2," according to Deadline, which adds: "Penn’s character Owen is intelligent with a dry wit. He seemed to have life all figured out: he had a great wife and family, a home in a quaint, upscale Connecticut town, and a distinguished job as the head of pediatrics at a top New York City hospital. But a hookup with another man makes Owen reevaluate his sexual orientation and belatedly realize that he is gay. He has to find a way to navigate his new reality – while mending fences with his loved ones – a challenge made all the more daunting thanks to the arrival of Clay who randomly appears on Owen’s front stoop."