Kutner's suicide was scripted due to actor Kal Penn's decision to accept the position of Associate Director of the White House Office of Public Liaison in President Barack Obama's administration.

Why did Kumar leave house?

In early 2009, Penn was offered the position of Associate Director of the White House Office of Public Engagement and Intergovernmental Affairs, which he accepted. This necessitated his character Lawrence Kutner being written out of the TV series House.

Who replaced Kutner on House?

In the season 5 episode "Simple Explanation", Kutner died by suicide. Actor Kal Penn needed to depart from the series to work in the Obama Administration, hence his character being written out of the show. Dr.