An Ole Miss freshman filmed making monkey noises outside Black students’ door is no longer enrolled, and says she had no idea who lived there

An Ole Miss freshman seen in a viral doorbell camera video has left the University of Mississippi and says she meant no racial harm. Alaina Kunes, 18, released a statement through her attorneys, according to TMZ. The statement was also given to WREG, and it says she will cooperate with the university’s investigation.

The video, recorded around 8:37 p.m. on Friday, November 6, shows two of three women appearing to make monkey noises and beat their chests outside an apartment shared by three Black students. Jakiyra Metcalf, one of the residents, posted the clip to TikTok on November 7, and it has since drawn over ten million views. Metcalf’s mother also shared the video.

The statement came out on Tuesday, November 10, through the law firm Gardiner Koch Weisberg & Wrona. In it, Kunes said she had never met the women before that night and did not know their race. She said she recognizes her actions were “insensitive, inappropriate, and deeply harmful.” She said she would never intentionally make such gestures toward a person of color and that her family has received death threats.

Ole Miss has not said whether she withdrew or was removed

Accounts of how Kunes left the university differ. TMZ’s sources said she withdrew voluntarily, that she was not expelled or suspended, and that she could return. A spokesperson for her attorneys also said she withdrew. Ole Miss reportedly confirmed that she is no longer enrolled but did not say whether she left on her own or was removed. However, that confirmation covers enrollment status only.

The university has said little beyond calling the behavior “deeply troubling, hurtful, and unacceptable,” in a statement from Vice Chancellor Shawnboda Mead. Two offices are investigating, the Office of Conflict Resolution and Student Conduct and the Office of Equal Opportunity and Regulatory Compliance, as the review continues despite her departure.

Two details of the withdrawal are still unsettled, and the university has not clarified either one. The first is whether Ole Miss would permit her to return, which TMZ’s sources said she could do. The second is what the two offices will conclude about the gestures in the video, as neither office has released findings, and the review is still active.

The statement follows the doorbell camera video that sparked the investigation, which showed two women appearing to make monkey noises outside the students’ door. The women in the video live in the apartment upstairs from the residents. Online reaction was swift, and the clip drew attention well before the university confirmed any details about who was involved.

The clip spread widely, and that speed had consequences for people outside the video. Mead warned that at least one person had been misidentified online, a risk that grows whenever a clip with unnamed people goes viral. The university has not said whether the second woman in the video is still enrolled.

The conduct offices will weigh her account against the footage, as the footage is what prompted both reviews. However, she says she never intended the gestures toward a person of color, and she says she did not know the women before that night. The university has not said how it will treat that claim.

Her departure does not end either review, so Ole Miss may still decide whether other students will face discipline once the investigations conclude.