Ellie Kemper Joins Today Show, Delights Al Roker Forever

Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt's bubbly star will help fill anchor gaps this summer

By Chris Harnick Jun 25, 2015 1:55 PMTags
Ellie Kemper, Today Show, TwitterTwitter

Ellie Kemper + Today = Hilarious mornings, right?! Today tapped the Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt star to help you start your mornings with laughs this summer as part of the show, helping to fill in any gaps while the main anchors are away. The show made the announcement Thursday.

"This is my summer camp," she said. "Thank you for being my counselors!"

Willie Geist said Kemper will be spending a lot of time in studio this summer, and on Twitter, the show said she'll be hanging with the Today's Take gang.

Kemper rolled up to the Today plaza in a taxi—New York style, guys!—with the catchy theme song to her Netflix series blasting.

Kemper, a veteran of The Office who has also appeared on the big screen in They Came Together and Bridesmaids, has cohosted with Al Roker before, a day Roker fondly recalled as "the best day ever."

"It was not only your best day, my mother, Dottie Kemper, adores you," Kemper said to Roker. "I mean she adores all of you, but I gotta say you, anyway, you have a special place."

Kemper stars alongside 30 Rock MVP Jane Krakowski, Carol Kane and Tituss Burgess in Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, Tina Fey's first series after 30 Rock. Robert Carlock co-created the show alongside Fey with Kemper in mind. The Netflix series, originally slated to air on NBC, follows a young woman after she escapes a doomsday cult and starts her life over in New York. Season two has already been announced.

(E! and NBC are both part of the NBCUniversal family.)