‘The Office’ Star Ellie Kemper Addresses ‘KKK Princess’ Controversy & Apologizes For Role In ‘Racist’ Event
After causing controversy, being drug through the social media streets and being dubbed a “KKK Princess,” ‘The Office‘ star Ellie Kemper is now issuing an apology for her role in a “racist” and “sexist” event as a teenager. Kemper, who also stars in ‘Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt,’ had the internet in a frenzy this past week after photos resurfaced of her in 1999 wearing a white gown and being dubbed the “Veiled Prophet Queen of Love and Beauty” after winning the title at a Veiled Prophet Ball, which according to sources is a KKK pageant.
Now, taking to Instagram, she apologizes, writing, “Hi guys – when I was 19 years old, I decided to participate in a debutante ball in my hometown. The century-old organization that hosted the debutante ball had an unquestionably racist, sexist and elitist past. I was not aware of this history at the time, but ignorance is no excuse. I was old enough to have educated myself before getting involved. I unequivocally deplore, denounce, and reject white supremacy. At the same time, I acknowledge that because of my race and my privilege, I am the beneficiary of a system that has dispensed unequal justice and unequal rewards.”
She adds, “There is a very natural temptation, when you become the subject of internet criticism, to tell yourself that your detractors are getting it all wrong. But at some point last week, I realized that a lot of the forces behind the criticism are forces that I’ve spent my life supporting and agreeing with. I believe strongly in the values of kindness, integrity, and inclusiveness. I try to live my life in accordance with these values. If my experience is an indication that organizations and institutions with pasts that fall short of these beliefs should be held to account, then I have to see this experience in a positive light. I want to apologize to the people I’ve disappointed, and I promise that moving forward I will listen, continue to educate myself, and use my privilege in support of the better society I think we’re capable of becoming.”
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Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt might be f&@ked. #EllieKemper pic.twitter.com/3jSZOsY3oR
— Oso (@dieboyrant) June 1, 2021
I don't know much about Ellie Kemper, but growing up in St. Louis in the 1970s and 1980, I remember The Veiled Prophet Fair very well. I was always told it was only for white people. The racial segregation was so normalized that people were just expected to know their place. pic.twitter.com/3pyhxsG2LX
— Keith Boykin (@keithboykin) June 1, 2021
Twitterverse finding out St. Louis has a 143-year-old, whites-only secret society for (really) rich St. Louis families and that Ellie Kemper is from one of those families and was crowned queen of the society's big annual ball in 1999: 😱
St. Louisans: pic.twitter.com/H6Mkwr8xHf
— Beth Prusaczyk, PhD, MSW (@bethp_DI) June 1, 2021
me opening the “ellie kemper” trending topic pic.twitter.com/kg7jr0FmX6
— Full Time Dumbass (@jillybeees) June 1, 2021
It gets worse.
As recently as 2020, Ellie Kemper gave money to a political organization that was historically dedicated to the preservation segregation *and* slavery. pic.twitter.com/eaIbRcS3Cj
— John McCormack (@McCormackJohn) June 7, 2021
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