Ellie Kemper's Past as 'Veiled Prophet Queen' Under Scrutiny

[TMC]

http://www.justjared.com/2021/05/31/...-prophet-ball/

The Office and Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt alum's past resurfaced on Twitter on Memorial Day over her involvement at age 19 in the problematic Veiled Prophet Ball, which was founded by wealthy white elites in St. Louis in 1878 and “emphasized the existing power structure.” Early drawings of the Veiled Prophets have a striking resemblance to Ku Klux Klan. Twitter users also drew comparisons to her Kimmy Schmidt character, who leaves a racist cult. Others pointed out that Kemper was a supporter of Black Lives Matter last year and that her husband, TV writer Michael Koman, is Jewish. Kemper has yet to respond to the controversy on Instagram.

Ellie Kemper apologizes for participating in "unquestionably racist, sexist and elitist" Veiled Prophet Ball at age 19

"I was not aware of this history at the time, but ignorance is no excuse," Kemper wrote in a lengthy statement posted to Instagram one week after her name became a Twitter trending topic after her involvement in the century-old ball resurfaced. "I was old enough to have educated myself before getting involved. She added: "I want to apologize to the people I've disappointed, and I promise that moving forward I will listen, continue to educated myself, and use my privilege in support of the better society I think we're capable of becoming." The actress admitted she faced a "very natural temptation" over the past week "to tell yourself that your detractors are getting it all wrong," but said she values "kindness, integrity and inclusiveness" and "realized that a lot of the forces behind the criticism are forces that I've spent my life supporting and agreeing with."