Ole Miss Student Alaina Kunes Withdraws After Racist Video

What the Ring camera caught

The video is timestamped Friday, Nov. 6, at roughly 8:37 p.m. Three white women walk up to the front door of an off-campus apartment in Oxford, Mississippi, leased through the University of Mississippi. Three Black Ole Miss freshmen live there, including the daughter of Tasha Bolton.

The first woman, later identified as 18-year-old Alaina Kunes, beats her chest and makes ape noises as she passes the door. A second woman does the same; she has not been identified and has not commented publicly. A third woman in the clip walks by without stopping or joining in.

The apartment's Ring doorbell camera recorded the whole exchange. Bolton's daughter shared the footage with her mother, who contacted local news stations. The clip spread nationally within days, drawing coverage from NBC News, CBS News and others.

Who's involved

Kunes is a Wisconsin native who had been at Ole Miss for less than three months when the video surfaced, according to the New York Post. She is the granddaughter of Gregg Kunes, who founded Kunes Auto Group, and the daughter of Scott Kunes, the company's former chief operating officer, who left the business earlier this year.

Kunes Auto Group operates more than 50 dealerships across Illinois, Wisconsin and Iowa, according to CBS News; the New York Post put the footprint at four Midwestern states. The company said in a statement that Alaina Kunes "has no employment, ownership, or professional affiliation with Kunes Auto Group."

The second and third women in the video have not been identified in any of the coverage, and it's unclear whether they are still enrolled at Ole Miss, according to NBC News. The three roommates targeted in the video have also not been named; Bolton's daughter is one of them.

"I hate that she withdrew from the school," — mother of one of the women targeted in the video, to CBS Mornings

No criminal charges — this stays a university matter

No criminal charges have been filed against Kunes or anyone else seen in the video. The response so far has run entirely through the university's internal disciplinary process, not a courtroom.

Shawnboda Mead, Ole Miss's vice chancellor for student affairs, emailed the campus on Sunday describing the footage as showing students "engaging in racist gestures directed toward other students" and calling it "deeply troubling, hurtful, and unacceptable," adding that it "does not reflect our university's values." The university said the matter is under active investigation, but any disciplinary record is protected by the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act, meaning the outcome may never be made public.

Kunes withdrew from the university, confirming it to Action News 5 on Wednesday; a source close to her also confirmed the withdrawal to NBC News. That withdrawal effectively ends her case before the university's process runs its course — there is no public finding, no sanction on record, no verdict of any kind.

The American Civil Liberties Union of Mississippi said it is reviewing complaints connected to the incident, according to spokesperson Candi Richardson. Separately, attorney William Sulton, who represents two people suing Kunes Auto Group over unrelated discrimination claims, pointed to a 2025 incident involving a sticker printed with a racial slur, saying the family connection "did not surprise him" because "discrimination is learned from parents and family." That litigation has no legal connection to this incident.

What each side has said

Kunes apologized in a statement issued through her attorneys at Gardiner Koch Weisberg & Wrona. "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."

She also said she and her family had received threats. "Over the past several days, my family and I have received death threats and harassment," she said. "I understand the seriousness of this situation and remain committed to taking responsibility and learning from this embarrassing ordeal."

Bolton, whose daughter filmed the video, did not hold back. "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?"

One of the three roommates told CBS Mornings that Kunes' withdrawal was the right call "for her peace and safety," according to the New York Post. But the mother of one of the women targeted in the video disagreed with the outcome entirely. "I hate that she withdrew from the school," she told CBS Mornings. "That's somebody's child, so that bothers me because I don't like to see kids — you know, you just started, these babies, they're 18. So I hate that for the young people. I wish people [would] be mindful and just think."

Ariel Streeter, an Ole Miss freshman not connected to the apartment, described her own reaction to Action News 5: "I was like, 'Wow, this is really happening.' It's kind of scary a little bit; it can happen right now to me or somebody."

What happens next

There is no court date to track, because there is no criminal case. The university says its investigation continues, but Kunes' withdrawal takes her out of that process before any finding is issued, and FERPA means an outcome — if one is ever reached for the other two women in the video — will likely stay out of public view. The ACLU of Mississippi says it is still reviewing complaints, and it remains unknown whether the second or third woman in the video will be identified or face any discipline.