‘KKK Princess’: Former ’Office‘ Actor Under Fire Over Debutante Ball She Attended Two Decades Ago

Ellie Kemper, best known as Erin Hannon on “The Office,” came under fire Monday afternoon after a Twitter user revealed she was once crowned the “Queen of Love and Beauty” at a long-running Missouri debutante ball. The user’s incorrect claim that the event is “put on by [St. Louis’] KKK” quickly spread, resulting in dozens of headlines that are likely to damage the actress’ career.

Now known as the Fair St. Louis, local business leaders established the Veiled Prophet Ball in 1878 to help the city compete with Chicago’s rapidly expanding commercial dominance and as a PR effort against striking workers. Inspired by the Irish poem “Lalla Rookh” by Thomas Moore and the revelries of Mardis Gras, the group invented a mythic society centered around a character known as the “Veiled Prophet of Khorassan,” a mystic traveler who would select the worthiest beauty from among the daughters of the city’s elite.