Ole Miss Student Alaina Kunes Withdraws After Racist Monkey-noise Video Outside Black Students' Door
An Ole Miss freshman has quit the university days after a Ring doorbell video showing her making ape sounds and gestures outside three Black students' apartment went viral. She says she's sorry; the family that caught it on camera says an apology isn't an answer.
Case at a glance
- Alaina Kunes — Ole Miss freshman accused of making racist gestures on camera, accused
- Tasha Bolton — mother of the student whose Ring camera recorded the incident
- Shawnboda Mead — Ole Miss Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs, official
Next: The University of Mississippi's investigation remains open, and no conduct finding or disciplinary outcome has been made public — FERPA shields that record even after Kunes's withdrawal. The second woman seen making the gestures has still not been identified or come forward, and no outlet has reported whether she or the third woman in the video remain enrolled. The ACLU of Mississippi is reviewing complaints on the incident separately, with no timeline given for that review.
What the Ring camera caught on Nov. 6
On Nov. 6, a Ring doorbell camera outside an off-campus apartment in Oxford, Mississippi, recorded three white women walking past the front door. Two of them beat their chests and made ape noises as they passed. The third kept walking without joining in.
The apartment belongs to three Black Ole Miss students. One of them is the daughter of Tasha Bolton; the camera that caught the moment belongs to Bolton's daughter, a Black freshman who shares the apartment with two other Black roommates. The University of Mississippi leases the complex for student housing.
The clip spread fast once it hit social media, drawing national attention within days. By Sunday, the university had opened a formal investigation.
Who's in the video
One of the two women seen beating her chest and making the gestures has been identified as Alaina Kunes, 18, a freshman at Ole Miss. Her attorneys, with the Chicago firm Gardiner Koch Weisberg & Wrona, confirmed her identity and have been speaking for her since.
The second woman who made the same gestures has never been identified and has not come forward publicly. It isn't clear whether she is an Ole Miss student. The third woman in the video, who simply walked past without gesturing, also hasn't been named.
Kunes is from Wisconsin. Online records reviewed by Spectrum News confirmed she is the daughter of Scott Kunes, the former chief operating officer of Kunes Auto Group who left the company earlier this year, and the granddaughter of Gregg Kunes, who owns the dealership chain founded in Delavan, Wisconsin, in 1997.
Kunes Auto Group moved quickly to separate itself from her. "The individual in the video has no employment, ownership, or professional affiliation with Kunes Auto Group," the company said in a statement, adding that it does not comment on private citizens unaffiliated with the business. Attorney William Sulton, who represents two people suing the dealership group over discrimination claims — including a 2025 complaint involving a sticker printed with a racial slur worn by an employee named Makayla Starks — told Action News 5 the family connection didn't surprise him: "Because discrimination is learned from parents and family. It's not something you're born with."
"We want answers. Specifically, what steps will be taken to address this behavior and ensure accountability?" — Tasha Bolton, to NBC News
An apology, then an exit from campus
University Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs Shawnboda Mead emailed the campus Sunday, describing the video as showing "University of Mississippi students engaging in racist gestures directed toward other students," and confirmed the matter was under investigation.
Kunes broke her silence Tuesday with a written statement sent through her attorneys. She said she had apologized directly to the women in the apartment and intended to cooperate fully with the university's review.
By Wednesday, Kunes told Action News 5 she had withdrawn from the University of Mississippi. A separate source close to her confirmed the withdrawal to NBC News, which reported that the enrollment status of the other women seen in the video remains unclear.
No conduct finding or disciplinary outcome has been announced. The university said any student conduct record and resulting discipline are protected under the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act, meaning the public may never see how — or whether — the case is formally resolved on campus. The ACLU of Mississippi said it is separately reviewing complaints it has received about the incident.
Kunes, in her own words
"To the women I offended and to the Ole Miss community, I sincerely apologize," Kunes said in her statement. "Before the incident on November 6, I never met the women involved and was unaware of their race, however, I recognize my actions were insensitive, inappropriate, and deeply harmful."
"I would have never intentionally made those noises or gestures toward a person of color," she said. "I have apologized to the women and I pray they will forgive me. I can never truly understand the pain I have caused them and it was never my intention. These girls deserve to feel seen and understood and what I did is not a reflection of who I am trying to become."
Kunes also said she and her family had received death threats and experienced harassment since the video surfaced. "I am grateful for the authorities working to ensure our safety," she said. "As I intend to cooperate fully with the University's investigation, I ask for privacy for my family. I understand the seriousness of this situation and remain committed to taking responsibility and learning from this embarrassing ordeal."
What the family and campus are saying
Bolton spoke out before the university had announced any findings. "This is absolutely disgusting and unacceptable. College is supposed to be a place where young adults can learn, grow, and feel safe," she said, according to NBC News. "We want answers. Specifically, what steps will be taken to address this behavior and ensure accountability?"
Other students told Action News 5 an apology doesn't settle it. "I was like, 'Wow, this is really happening,'" said Ariel Streeter, an Ole Miss freshman. "It's kind of scary a little bit; it can happen right now to me or somebody. It's more awareness, like dang, this is what really goes on."
A student who asked not to be named, citing tension on campus, said the video has changed how he feels he's perceived there. "It is really surprising to see how people view us as a whole," he told Action News 5. "It's just off-setting."
What happens next
The University of Mississippi's investigation remains open, and no conduct finding or disciplinary outcome has been made public — FERPA shields that record even after Kunes's withdrawal. The second woman seen making the gestures has still not been identified or come forward, and no outlet has reported whether she or the third woman in the video remain enrolled. The ACLU of Mississippi is reviewing complaints on the incident separately, with no timeline given for that review.
How this plays in court
What matters most in a campus conduct case is the same thing it is in a courtroom: intent versus impact. Kunes says in her statement that she didn't know the women's race and never meant to target them — that's the argument her side will keep leaning on if any formal proceeding continues. A conduct panel, or a civil jury down the line, would have to weigh that explanation against video showing deliberate, synchronized gestures made outside one specific door.
The university's own language — 'racist gestures directed toward other students' — already frames this as targeted, not accidental. That phrasing matters if this moves beyond campus discipline into a civil claim. Bolton's public demand for 'accountability' signals the family wants something more concrete than an apology and a quiet withdrawal.
The unidentified second woman is the open thread everyone keeps pulling on. Without her name, there's no way to know whether she faces the same scrutiny Kunes has, whether she's still enrolled, or whether the university's investigation can even reach a complete finding.
The Kunes Auto Group history is noise a defense will want walled off. A relative's business record and a lawyer's opinion about learned behavior aren't evidence of what happened outside that apartment door on Nov. 6 — any formal process, campus or court, has to stay focused on what the video actually shows, not who Kunes's relatives are.
- Action News 5: Ole Miss Student Alaina Kunes Withdraws After Racist Monkey-noise Video Outside Black Students' Door
- NBC News: Woman apologizes for making racist gestures outside Ole Miss students’ apartment
- KBTX News 3: Woman speaks out after being seen making racist gestures outside Ole Miss students’ apartment
- Spectrum News: Woman issues apology for 'inappropriate' actions captured on doorbell video at University of Mississippi
- KSLA: Woman speaks out after being seen making racist gestures outside Ole Miss students’ apartment