Michael Koman and Ellie Kemper attend the 2015 New Yorker Festival Wrap Party in New York City.Photo: Neilson Barnard/Getty
Ellie Kemperfound her comedic soul mate in Michael Koman.
The Officestar met her husband — known for his writing on iconic comedy series likeMADtvandNathan for You— on the set ofLate Night with Conan O’Brien,but it wasn’t exactly love at first sight for Kemper and Koman.
“I was an old intern, and he was a young writer,” theUnbreakable Kimmy Schmidtcast member toldVanity Fairin December 2014. “There was a part of me that was like, ‘No time for love! I have to focus on my career!’ "
Thankfully, everything worked out for the comedy power duo, who were initially friends andon-screen comedy partnersbefore dating. Kemper and Koman got married in 2012 and welcomed two sons, James andMatthew.
So, who is Ellie Kemper’s husband? Here’s everything to know about Michael Koman and his relationship with the actress.
His passion for comedy started at a young age
Michael Koman and Ellie Kemper pose backstage during the 71st Annual Writers Guild Awards New York ceremony in New York City in February 2019.Nicholas Hunt/Getty
Koman grew up in San Diego, where he used local resources to help him learn everything he could about the art form.
“There was this music library at [University of California San Diego], and, for free, they had tons of old vinyl comedy albums,” Komantold Vulturein July 2014.
He continued, “After school, I would go over there and listen toBob Newhart,Richard Pryor, Jonathan Winters, Bob & Ray,Bob Hope. They just had every old comedy album. … That was the stuff I got most excited about.”
“I loved pretty much everyone you like, if you like comedy at all,” Koman concluded.
He did stand-up in high school
Michael Koman attends the 2015 TCA Turner Broadcasting Winter Press Tour Presentation in Pasadena, California, in January 2015.Michael Buckner/WireImage
Koman started as a comedian in high school when he earned a job at The Comedy Store in San Diego. The aspiring comic befriended the manager, who let him take the stage a few nights a week.
“After school, I would go to The Comedy Store. I would answer phones, take reservations, hang out with the bartender, and I would come back later, and I would get to do 10, 15 minutes,” Koman told Vulture. “I was not a good comedian, but it was really fun.”
Although he had “stage fright” and was “incredibly anxious” before his routines, he said he was “never embarrassed about doing stand-up.”
According to Vulture, Koman continued his comedy pursuits in college, frequenting the Improv in Los Angeles, even though he didn’t “feel he was all that great.”
He’s an award-winning writer and producer
Ellie Kemper and Michael Koman attend the 2012 Do Something Awards in Santa Monica, California in August 2012.Christopher Polk/Getty
In the early 2000s, he wrote for Fox’s sketch showMADtvand then joinedLate Night with Conan O’Brien, where he worked as a writer for seven years and met his future wife.
Over the years, his work on the talk show earned him 11 Primetime Emmy Awards nominations, with Koman winning in 2007 for outstanding writing for a variety, music or comedy program.
After his time atConanended in 2008, he created the Adult Swim series Eagleheart, starring futureSchitt’s CreekactorChris Elliott. Koman also partnered with Canadian comedian Nathan Fielder on theNathan for You, a Comedy Central docu-reality series.
The project, which aired from 2013 to 2017, earned him critical acclaim for his writing contribution, and Koman won a 2019Writers Guild Awardfor a comedy/variety sketch series alongside the show’s other writers, including Fielder and Kemper’s sister, Carrie.
Koman has written for other shows, includingThe Colbert Report,SNL,The Jack and Triumph Show,Triumph’s Election Watch 2016,Girls5evaandHow to with John Wilson.
He also served as executive producer forImportant Things with Demetri Martinand the 2021 filmBad Trip, featuringEric André,Lil Rel HoweryandTiffany Haddish.
They had a slow start to their relationship
Ellie Kemper and Michael Koman at Rainn Wilson’s ‘Soul Pancake’ book party in Los Angeles in October 2010.Vivien Killilea/WireImage
According toVanity Fair, after Kemper and Koman discussed the state of their relationship, the two didn’t speak for a couple of months. However, when he called out sick from work — highlighted in a segment ofLate Night with Conan O’Brien— Kempercontacted him to see if he was okay.
“Let’s be honest,” she told the outlet. “I think he probably had a sore throat. But it prompted me to call.”
Kemper also thanked O’Brien for bringing the two together. In June 2021, she captioneda series of throwback photosof Koman, like when he called out of work sick and starred in their iPhone commercial sketch.
“I was lucky enough to be an intern and later a sketch performer on your show — and I also got to meet one of your writers, Michael Moore Koman, on your show,” she wrote on Instagram, crediting O’Brien.
“This man would go on to become my husband and the father of my two children. … I wanted to tell you that I forgive you for bringing this man into my life,” Kemper added.
He proposed to Kemper three times
Ellie Kemper attends a signing of her book ‘My Squirrel Days’ with husband, Michael Koman, in New York City in October 2018.Gary Gershoff/Getty
When Koman proposed, Kemper said she wasn’t surprised at all.
“I told him to propose,” she said onThe Ellen DeGeneres Showin January 2012. “I had this idea that I wanted it to be in New York … but then I thought, ‘Well, I don’t know when we’re going to be in New York at the same time, so you can just ask me this week.’ And then he did!”
While guest co-hosting for theTodayshowin August 2017, Kemper recounted the proposal story, saying Koman’s wasn’t conventional.
“Michael, I love you. You did not propose well,” she said. “Three times, the subject of marriage came up. … The first time, he was like, ‘I don’t have the ring, but maybe one day we’ll get married. I was like, ‘Am I supposed to say yes to that?’ … The second time, he was like, ‘Here’s the ring … we can get married at some point.'”
The third time was the charm for the pair.
“The final time he asked me as I was leaving for New York from Los Angeles,” Kemper continued. “He asked me to marry him, and I got on a plane and left for a week. … Don’t they say, ‘Bad proposal, great marriage?’ "
He married Kemper in 2012
Ellie Kemper and her husband Michael Komen take a selfie.Ellie Kemper Instagram
Ellie Kemper Instagram
The couple tied the knot at the Church of the Blessed Sacrament in New York City on July 7, 2012. Famous guests included formerThe OfficecostarMindy KalingandBridesmaidscostarKristen Wiig.
Kemper also teased Koman about their big dayon Instagramback in 2020.
“Happy 8-Year Anniversary to me!!! And to my husband, who still might not realize we got married that day. 🥂,” she wrote alongside a different wedding picture.
He shares two sons with Kemper
Michael Koman and Ellie Kemper arrive at the 70th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards in September 2018.Todd Williamson/NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal
Kemper and Koman welcomed their first child together, a son named James, in July 2016. Shortly after, she joked about becoming a mom at the 2017SAG Awards.
“Six months ago, I gave birth to a beautiful boy, andhe gave me my greatest role yet: the role of mom,” Kemper said. “I’m kidding — my greatest role is playing Kimmy Schmidt onNetflix!”
Their second child,Matthew, joined the Kemper-Koman family in September 2019. According to Kemper, Matthew resembles both parents in very different ways.
He makes Kemper laugh while doing household chores
Ellie Kemper and her husband, Michael Koman, take a selfie outdoors.Ellie Kemper Instagram
Even chores are an opportunity for laughter in their home.
In 2021, Kemper shared that she and her husband do impressions of the royal family fromThe Crownwhen cleaning up — Kemper playingQueen Elizabethand KomanPrince Charles.
“So the more mundane the chore, the better,” she said in an appearance onThe Ellen DeGeneres Show. “I should mention hereI’m terrible at accents, and Michael isn’t much better. But it makes us laugh.”
source: people.com
