Alaina Kunes

Introduction

Alaina Kunes, an 18-year-old freshman at the University of Mississippi, admitted on November 10, 2026 that she was one of the women recorded making racist monkey noises and gestures outside the off-campus apartment of three Black Ole Miss students — a Ring doorbell video that drew national attention and a university investigation . In a statement issued through her attorney to CBS 58 and Action News 5, Kunes apologized to the students, said she had been unaware of their race, and committed to cooperating with the university’s probe . The same day, the University of Mississippi confirmed to Action News 5 that Kunes is “no longer a student” — though the school did not say whether she withdrew or was removed .

Background Information

Kunes was an 18-year-old freshman at Ole Miss when the November 6, 2026 incident was recorded . Her attorney confirmed her family ties to Kunes Auto Group, a Wisconsin-based dealership group that operates stores across four Midwest states . The family business had faced racial complaints before: in early 2025 a customer said a racial slur was written on her oil-change service sticker at a Kunes store, and the dealership fired the employee responsible at the time, according to CBS 58; another customer separately complained earlier in 2026 that a Kunes salesman sent her an apparently racist text message, per the New York Post . Those earlier complaints involve the family business, not Kunes personally; no report connects her to them.

The Controversy or Incident That Led to Their Cancellation

Identified, admitted, and off the school’s rolls. Kunes does not dispute the video: her own statement admits she made the noises and gestures captured on the Ring camera. The University of Mississippi says she is “no longer a student,” without saying whether she withdrew or was removed, and its student-conduct investigation remains open. No criminal charge has been reported in the incident.

On the evening of November 6, 2026, a Ring doorbell camera outside an off-campus apartment — the home of a Black Ole Miss freshman and her two Black roommates, in student housing the university leases at the complex — recorded three young women walking past the door; two of them stepped toward the camera mimicking monkey noises and gestures, a racist trope directed at the residents inside . The footage, recorded by the family of one of the targeted students, spread online over the weekend, and the university on Sunday condemned the behavior as “deeply troubling, hurtful, and unacceptable” .

Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs Shawnboda Mead said the behavior “does not reflect our university’s values,” confirmed the incident was being “actively investigated,” and stated that “racism and actions that disparage people because of an aspect of their identity have no place in our campus community” . The school’s review runs through its Office of Conflict Resolution and Student Conduct and its Office of Equal Opportunity and Regulatory Compliance, which noted that federal privacy law limits what it can share about individual students or any potential disciplinary action .

On November 10, Kunes was publicly identified as one of the three women and issued an apology through her attorney: “To the women I offended and to the Ole Miss community, I sincerely apologize,” she wrote, adding, “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,” the statement continued, saying she had personally apologized to the residents and prayed they would forgive her; Action News 5 identified Kunes as “the first of three white women” in the video and reported that the second woman seen making the gestures has not been identified or come forward .

Kunes said she and her family have received death threats and harassment since she was identified online, thanked the authorities “working to ensure our safety,” and wrote, “As I intend to cooperate fully with the University’s investigation, I ask for privacy for my family” . That same day, the University of Mississippi confirmed to the station that Kunes is “no longer a student,” while the school did not clarify whether she withdrew or was removed from its rolls .

Public Reaction and Consequences

The clip spread nationwide over the weekend of November 7–8, with CBS 58 noting the video was “getting a lot of attention across the nation” and Ole Miss’s Black Student Union issuing a statement condemning the incident and calling for a full investigation, appropriate disciplinary action, and support for the targeted student . The university said it had reached out to those targeted to offer information, resources, and support . Kunes’s identification online was followed by death threats and harassment against her and her family, which she disclosed in her apology statement; coverage of her admission also revived public criticism of the family dealership chain, whose 2025 slur-on-a-service-sticker complaint had already drawn protest .

Current Status

As of November 10, 2026, Kunes is no longer enrolled at the University of Mississippi, per the school’s confirmation to Action News 5; the university has not said whether she withdrew under pressure or was removed as a result of its investigation . The student-conduct investigation remains open, and Kunes has said she intends to cooperate fully with it . She has not been charged with any crime, and no criminal referral in the incident has been reported; her apology takes responsibility for the gestures while maintaining that she did not know the residents’ race . The second woman seen making gestures in the video has not been identified, and the university has not named any other student in connection with the incident .

Impact on Their Career/Life

Kunes’s time at Ole Miss ended in her first semester on campus, days before her 18th birthday admission turned a viral clip into a national story — the university’s “no longer a student” confirmation came exactly four days after the recorded incident . Because she is tied to a regional dealership family, the fallout reached beyond campus: coverage of her admission dragged Kunes Auto Group back into a racial controversy within two years of the 2025 sticker complaint, with both incidents now cited side by side in national reporting on the video . Her statement frames her next steps around cooperation with the university process and privacy for her family; whether any university finding follows her to another institution is not publicly known .

Sources

• NY Post, “Ole Miss student apologizes for racist stunt caught on Ring camera,” November 10, 2026 — source
• NY Post, “Ole Miss launches investigation into white women who made racist monkey noises outside black students’ apartment,” November 9, 2026 — source
• WBBJ-TV/Action News 5 (WMC), “Woman apologizes after racist gestures caught on camera outside Ole Miss students’ apartment,” November 10, 2026 — source
• CBS 58, “Ole Miss student under fire for doorbell video issues public apology,” November 10, 2026 — source
• WCVB/WAPT, “Ole Miss student apologizes after video shows women making racist gestures,” November 10, 2026 — source
• @nypost on X, “Ole Miss coed who made monkey noises outside black students’ door fesses up - as dad’s biz comes under fire,” November 10, 2026 — source