An 18-year-old University of Mississippi student has withdrawn from school and issued a public apology after a video of her and friends mimicking monkeys outside a Black student’s apartment went viral, sparking intense backlash and accusations of racism.
The incident, captured on a doorbell camera last week and shared millions of times on TikTok, shows Alaina Kunes and two friends beating their chests and making primate-like noises at the off-campus apartment door. The resident, Jakiyra Metcalf, shared the footage online, where it quickly erupted into a national controversy.
‘Deeply Harmful’ Actions
In a statement released through a representative, Kunes insisted she had no knowledge of the resident’s race when engaging in what she described as an ill-conceived prank targeted randomly at multiple doors. “I recognize my actions were insensitive, inappropriate, and deeply harmful,” Kunes wrote. “I would have never intentionally made those noises or gestures toward a person of color.”
The student reported receiving death threats and relentless harassment since the video circulated, prompting her withdrawal from Ole Miss for personal safety reasons despite her claims that the act wasn’t racially motivated.
University Investigation
University Vice Chancellor Shawnboda Mead confirmed the incident remains under active investigation, with staff offering support to the affected students. The administration’s response comes as reactions polarized sharply across social media and political commentators.
On X (formerly Twitter), many users questioned whether the reaction constituted an overreach. “Shamelessly ruining a young woman’s life over some monkey sounds,” one post read, while others drew comparisons to more violent campus incidents involving Black perpetrators that drew less institutional response.
Media Spotlight
Three Black students, including Metcalf, appeared on CBS Mornings to discuss their perspective. Metcalf described confronting the pranksters immediately afterward, receiving partial apologies but remaining disturbed by the act’s racial implications given its specificity to their door in the footage available.
Victoria G. Johnson, another Ole Miss student present during the incident, emphasized that even if Kunes pranked other doors indiscriminately, the behavior warranted condemnation. “It’s very disrespectful,” Johnson told CBS.
Johnson’s mother Chiquita Lao called for accountability, urging witnesses to similar incidents not to remain silent. “This is a reality for us,” Lao said. “I feel like voices need to be heard.”
Meanwhile, conservative commentator Matt Walsh likened the furor to early 2020s “peak woke” moral panics, arguing the asymmetrical consequences highlighted broader racial double standards in outrage culture.
The controversy continues to unfold as the university community grapples with questions about intent, proportionality in public shaming, and campus climate around race relations.
Source: www.dailywire.com โ https://www.dailywire.com/news/college-girl-forced-out-of-school-after-being-smeared-as-racist-over-doorbell-prank