Tituss Burgess is weighing in after his Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt co-star Ellie Kemper apologized amid the controversy surrounding her resurfaced involvement in the Veiled Prophet Ball.
A week after Ellie's name was trending on social media due to questions about her crowning as the "Queen of Love and Beauty" at the 1999 Veiled Prophet Ball in her home state of Missouri, the 41-year-old Bridesmaids actress posted a statement to Instagram on Monday, June 7 in which she acknowledged competing in the event and decried some of the group's history.
This led Tituss, who earned five Emmy nominations for his role as Titus Andromedon on Netflix's comedy series Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, to share his support for Ellie on his own Instagram account later that day.
"I love my Ellie [heart emoji]," the 42-year-old actor captioned his repost of Ellie's apology. "Oh, & P.S. Next time, just ask me, I'll tell ya what to do [smiling face with three hearts emoji]."
Ellie replied in the comments, "I love you Tituss," adding three heart emojis.
In her statement earlier in the day, the alum of The Office had written in part, "Hey 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 that time, but ignorance is no excuse. I was old enough to have educated myself before getting involved."
She continued, "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."
At the time of last week's furor over Ellie's involvement in the ball, the Veiled Prophet Organization told E! News as part of a statement, "The VP organization is dedicated to civic progress, economic contributions and charitable causes in St. Louis. Our organization believes in and promotes inclusion, diversity and equality for this region. We absolutely reject racism and have never partnered or associated with any organization that harbors these beliefs."
Click here to read E!'s full coverage of the controversy surrounding the group's history and Ellie's pageant participation.