Ellie Kemper found her comedic soul mate in Michael Koman.
The Office star met her husband — known for his writing on iconic comedy series like MADtv and Nathan for You — on the set of Late 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,” the Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt cast member told Vanity Fair in 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 and on-screen comedy partners before dating. Kemper and Koman got married in 2012 and welcomed two sons, James and Matthew.
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
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,” Koman told Vulture in July 2014.
He continued, “After school, I would go over there and listen to Bob 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
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
In the early 2000s, he wrote for Fox’s sketch show MADtv and then joined Late 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 at Conan ended in 2008, he created the Adult Swim series Eagleheart, starring future Schitt’s Creek actor Chris Elliott. Koman also partnered with Canadian comedian Nathan Fielder on the Nathan 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 2019 Writers Guild Award for a comedy/variety sketch series alongside the show’s other writers, including Fielder and Kemper’s sister, Carrie.
Koman has written for other shows, including The Colbert Report, SNL, The Jack and Triumph Show, Triumph’s Election Watch 2016, and How to with John Wilson.
He also served as executive producer for Important Things with Demetri Martin and the 2021 film Bad Trip, featuring Eric André, Lil Rel Howery and Tiffany Haddish.
They had a slow start to their relationship
According to Vanity 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 of Late 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 captioned a series of throwback photos of 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
When Koman proposed, Kemper said she wasn’t surprised at all.
“I told him to propose,” she said on The Ellen DeGeneres Show in 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 the in 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
The couple tied the knot at the Church of the Blessed Sacrament in New York City on July 7, 2012. Famous guests included former The Office costar Mindy Kaling and Bridesmaids costar Kristen Wiig.
In 2022, they celebrated their 10th anniversary, and Kemper marked the occasion on Instagram by sharing a photo from their wedding day and a series of images of their “crazy times” and “wild adventures” sitting on the couch together.
Kemper also teased Koman about their big day on Instagram back 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
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 2017 SAG Awards.
“Six months ago, I gave birth to a beautiful boy, and he gave me my greatest role yet: the role of mom,” Kemper said. “I’m kidding — my greatest role is playing Kimmy Schmidt on Netflix!”
Their second child, Matthew, joined the Kemper-Koman family in September 2019. According to Kemper, Matthew resembles both parents in very different ways.
“He has inherited his dad’s brown hair and his mom’s desire to be carried around all day in a baby sling,” she captioned a photo of Matthew on Instagram, one month after his arrival. “He’s a good boy.”
He makes Kemper laugh while doing household chores
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 from when cleaning up — Kemper playing Queen Elizabeth and Koman Prince Charles.
“So the more mundane the chore, the better,” she said in an appearance on The Ellen DeGeneres Show. “I should mention here I’m terrible at accents, and Michael isn’t much better. But it makes us laugh.”
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