Current Events > Ellie Kemper Apologizes for Participation in Controversial Pageant

(+) Yeah! (+)

https://people.com/tv/ellie-kemper-apologizes-participation-controversial-pageant/

Ellie Kemper has spoken out about her past participation in a controversial Missouri debutante ball. Last week, the Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt actress came under fire when photos surfaced of her being crowned the "Queen of Love and Beauty" at the Veiled Prophet Ball (now called the Fair Saint Louis) in 1999. The Veiled Prophet Organization was originally co-founded in the late 1800s by former Confederate officer Charles Slayback and other prominent white St. Louisans, who only permitted white people to participate up until 1979. Kemper, 41, addressed the situation in a statement on Instagram Monday. "Hi guys, when I was 19 years old, I decided to participate in a debutante ball in my hometown," she began. "The century-old organization that hosted the debutante ball had an unquestionably racist, sexist and elitist past. I was not aware of the 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,"

she continued. "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." Addressing the backlash she received, the actress wrote, "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." Kemper ended her own statement on Monday with an apology. "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," she wrote. "Thanks for reading this."



---

i always go back and forth between "hot" and "cute" with her. never really does stick one way or the other

---

Posting first to bwahaha at this, hoping others will follow soot
---

Imagine being bullied into apologizing for something where you wronged nobody and then thanking the bullies for the opportunity.

---

Bwahaha

---

I mean what else was she going to say

dumb that a certain segment of people tried to make this A Thing

---

I guess it comes with fame to have to come around like a lap dog. Then beg for forgiveness jfc. Crazy

---

Thats a pathetic excuse of an apology, she should be ashamed for this as well.

---

It's good to see just who rushed in to say how angry they are over this.

---

She's only apologizing because she got caught. I never participated in any racist pageants when I was 19.

---

EndOfDiscOne posted...

She's only apologizing because she got caught. I never participated in any racist pageants when I was 19.

You were too ugly.

Didn't know she is a racist.

---

It's so weird that people care about this now. I've known about this shit for years. It's really just a matter of the right Twitter troll digging it up?
---

MelbuFrahma4 posted...

Didn't know she is a racist.

She isn't. She was 19 and didn't research the history of the pageant

ThePrinceFish posted...

Imagine being bullied into apologizing for something where you wronged nobody and then thanking the bullies for the opportunity.

---

Lebronwon posted...

in 1999

wtf why is she apologizing for this shit. if was somethign she did recently then i guess thats different

She never should have apologized because she didn't do anything wrong. She sounds like a brainwashed idiot now.

---

My dad and his family are all from St. Louis and I asked him about it. He said it was a thing for really rich weirdos, but had never heard anything about it being explicitly racists.

---

That was a good apology

---

Now can we move on from this stupid shit lol

---

ThePrinceFish posted...

Imagine being bullied into apologizing for something where you wronged nobody and then thanking the bullies for the opportunity.

---

There's also a visceral pleasure that comes with knowing you can make rich celebrities bow down in shame.

Could be a humiliation fetish, really.
---

ThePrinceFish posted...

Imagine being bullied into apologizing for something where you wronged nobody and then thanking the bullies for the opportunity.

it's fucking clownworld

She should have never said anything. It would have blow over eventually. Instead she sounds like a weakling kowtowing to a small mob of nobodies.

---

This whole fucking topic is just peak CE

Heavy_D_Forever posted...

She never should have apologized because she didn't do anything wrong. She sounds like a brainwashed idiot now.

So staying in character?

---

Debutante balls are still a thing?

Pretty much a textbook apology. Not much more needs to be said.

---

What_ posted...

This whole fucking topic is just peak CE

I was thinking the same thing

---

Questionmarktarius posted...

Debutante balls are still a thing?

The pageant didnt happen in 2021. It happened in 1999.

---

Well that was nice of her to say all this. Also, wow, cant believe shes 41.

---

Lebronwon posted...

The pageant didnt happen in 2021. It happened in 1999.

So... 22 years ago, when even Obama was still "homophobic", and the idea of several states legalizing weed was unfathomable?

This topic really attracted all the trolls on CE.

---

Lebronwon posted...

The pageant didnt happen in 2021. It happened in 1999.

but also yes

i think her response is shrewd- costs her nothing among people who otherwise like her, shuts down any argument for further criticism among the (likely small) number of people actually angry about this, shows support to allies she clearly cares about who no doubt will be pleased to see it.

the people viewing her response negatively inevitably would already view her negatively since she's long been opposed to the things they hold in high esteem, so no real loss there.

some segment of people will probably view her response as "the bare minimum" or some other nonsense, but those folks have never really been the driving voice of any movement, so those sorts of relentlessly aggressive critics aren't really the target of the apology in the first place.

---

Lebronwon posted...

The pageant didnt happen in 2021. It happened in 1999.

Why does this matter? If something is reprehensible, does it matter if it happened in 1999?

uwa ej posted...

Why does this matter? If something is reprehensible, does it matter if it happened in 1999?

Do you even look at what he is replying to? Stfu

---

Even if she had "done her research" who's to say that she would even find information linking them to racism? People forget what the internet was like in 1999. Just a bunch of random, incomplete information, if you even knew how to use it effectively. It's not like today where I can easily type in some keywords to Google and find out everything to know about this organization without even knowing their name.

---

Good on her for responding with class.

---

codey posted...

Even if she had "done her research" who's to say that she would even find information linking them to racism? People forget what the internet was like in 1999. Just a bunch of random, incomplete information, if you even knew how to use it effectively. It's not like today where I can easily type in some keywords to Google and find out everything to know about this organization without even knowing their name.

I guess she should have gone to a library and pulled a bunch of old newspapers to read to educate herself before participating in it.

---

codey posted...

Even if she had "done her research" who's to say that she would even find information linking them to racism? People forget what the internet was like in 1999. Just a bunch of random, incomplete information, if you even knew how to use it effectively. It's not like today where I can easily type in some keywords to Google and find out everything to know about this organization without even knowing their name.

I wonder if a lot of the social media flak is coming from youngsters who don't understand that information was a lot harder to find back in the day.

---

For a one-off occurrence that happened 22 years ago when she was 19 years old, I think she handled things about as well as she possibly could.

---

Never apologize to angry people on the internet.

They don't want an opportunity to forgive you, they want want you to admit wrongdoing so they can get that thrill of tearing somebody down.

ScazarMeltex posted...

Essentially yeah. Some twitter activist decided to get butthurt and claim the veiled prophet organization was related to the klan. As a lifelong Saint Louisan I can tell you it's rooted in class violence. Now with any kind of class related stuff from that period comes racism, but the racism wasn't the chief goal nor did it have anything to do with the klan.

Are you black? Because I have read from a lot of the black people from area saying point black that this thing was racist as fuck, and everyone knew it. It isn't like something you can say.. .oops I didn't know how racist they were.

---

chrono625 posted...

She should have never said anything. It would have blow over eventually. Instead she sounds like a weakling kowtowing to a small mob of nobodies.

And the funny part is, all of them will say this is a horrible apology and refuse to accept it anyway. There's no point apologizing to those people out for blood because even if you do, they will just spit on you either way

---

HHH is the game posted...

And the funny part is, all of them will say this is a horrible apology and refuse to accept it anyway. There's no point apologizing to those people out for blood because even if you do, they will just spit on you either way

Those people ?

---

cjsdowg posted...

Those people ?

The people who go after celebrities like this and demand apologies and punishment or 'cancelling' for any perceived slight. Sometimes they are even right and they did do something wrong, but the reactions are always out of proportion to what they actually did. Then when they apologize they say the apology was s*** and then they keep piling on

---

Honestly, I'd just blame the parents for dragging their daughters along with it.

I can't blame someone for not taking a stand against it while they are a kid. Who knows what kind of repercussions they would have faced. I'm sure a lot of them look back on it and see how gross it is.

Collat posted...

Honestly, I'd just blame the parents for dragging their daughters along with it.

I can't blame someone for not taking a stand against it while they are a kid. Who knows what kind of repercussions they would have faced. I'm sure a lot of them look back on it and see how gross it is.

She was 19.

---