Ellie Kemper Is Married To An Emmy-Winning Writer And They're Seriously Adorable
Ellie Kemper has become one of America's most-lauded TV sweethearts over the past few years. The actress effortlessly stood out on The Office as Erin Hannon amongst one of the most amazing ensemble casts in sitcom history. Then she went on star as Kimmy in Netflix's Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, a quirky and lovable role she was pretty much born to play. The comedic dynamo tends to keep her social life relatively private, but she has been married since 2012. Who is Ellie Kemper's husband? She's not the only one in the relationship who can say they've been nominated for an Emmy...
Ellie's hubby Michael Koman is actually a celebrated writer for a handful of TV shows you probably already know and hopefully love. He wrote for Late Night With Conan O'Brien up until 2008 and even won an Emmy for Outstanding Writing for a Variety, Musical, or Comedy series in 2007. He's been nominated eight times. Ellie has two Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Emmy nods under her belt for Kimmy Schmidt, so kudos to this powerhouse pair for their impressive shared success. It's a miracle! No, it's really not. We just like to randomly scream that if we're talking about the show. No miracles here. This couple is obviously ridiculously talented.
Koman's resume extends beyond that super cool Conan gig. He's written on episodes of SNL, The Colbert Report, Nathan For You, and MadTV, to name a few. He and Ellie wed in New York City on July 7, 2012. They welcomed a baby boy, James Miller, last year. She recently shared a photo of her son on The Today Show and, well, duh. He's insanely adorable.
Kemper is a Princeton alum who sharpened her improv skills in the university's comedy group, Quipfire! She was raised in St. Louis and -- fun fact -- Jon Hamm just happened to be her high school drama teacher. “I was in ninth grade and he taught me the improv section of my theater class, and everyone loved him,” she remarked at a 2015 Television Critics Association panel. She and the Mad Men star are now Kimmy Schmidt co-stars -- Hamm hilariously plays cult leader Reverend Richard Wayne Gary Wayne.
After working in sketches in commercials, she became somewhat of a household name when she landed the role of Kelly Erin Hannon, the enthusiastic Pam-placement receptionist on NBC's The Office. She showed signs of undeniable comedic brilliance through that performance, but it was 2011's Bridesmaids that took her fame to the next level. Ellie killed it as the buttoned-up Becca, the sweet and straight-laced bridesmaid who wanted to throw a Pixar-themed bridal shower. Aaaand we're laughing just thinking about that plane scene again.
By 2015 it was about time the actress deserved a starring role that would show off her talents. And thus, Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt was born. Producers Tina Fey and Robert Carlock knew they had a star on their hands after an encounter -- Kemper didn't even have to really audition. "I met with Tina and Robert, who created the show, for drinks the spring before they ended up writing it and I thought that we were maybe talking about something down the road," she told amNewYork. "It was sort of vague ... but then when I met them again that summer, they had written the pilot. So, I had an idea that I might be working with them in the future, but I didn't realize it would be that soon."
We couldn't imagine anyone else in the role as the delightfully quirky former "mole woman" Kimmy. Ellie is up for an Emmy this year and even though she's got some stiff competition -- the great Julia Louis-Dreyfus has won five times consecutively for Veep -- you never know. We're excited to see her (and perhaps her talented hubby) on the red carpet soon. Hashbrown no filter.
