The actor, who portrays Titus Andromedon on Netflix comedy series 'Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt', shares his co-star's apology on Instagram and gushes, 'I love my Ellie.'
- Jun 8, 2021
AceShowbiz - Tituss Burgess is a proud friend of Ellie Kemper. After his former "Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt" co-star apologized publicly for her past participation in a "racist" pageant, the Titus Andromedon depicter on the Netflix comedy series took to social media to show support for her.
On Monday, June 7, the 42-year-old made use of Instagram to re-share his pal's apology. In the accompanying message, he wrote, "I love my Ellie [heart emoji], Oh, & P.S. Next time, just ask me, I'll tell ya what to do [smiling face with three hearts emoji]." In response, the actress replied in the comment section, "love you Tituss."
In the original post, Ellie admitted that she once attended the Veiled Prophet Ball back in 1999. She first explained, "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 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. 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 continued, before addressing the backlash, "I realized that a lot of the forces behind the criticism are forces that I've spent my life supporting and agreeing with."
Ellie, who was crowned the "Queen of Love and Beauty" at the controversial ball, concluded her lengthy message by expressing her remorse. She pointed out, "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."
Also issuing an apology was the Veiled Prophet Organization, which hosted the debutante ball. "We sincerely apologize for the actions and images from our history," the organization said in a statement to Fox News. "Additionally, our lack of cultural awareness was and is wrong. We are committed to change, allowing our actions to match the organization we are today."
Furthermore, Veiled Prophet Organization officials emphasized that they "categorically [reject] racism in any form." They added, "[We are] committed to diversity and equity in our membership, community service initiatives and support for the region."
