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‘Unaware Of Their Race’: White Student Hounded Out Of SEC School Over Monkey Taunts Says The Whole Thing Was A Misunderstanding

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Cite

Oyewale, J. (2026, November 12). ‘Unaware Of Their Race’: White Student Hounded Out Of SEC School Over Monkey Taunts Says The Whole Thing Was A Misunderstanding. The Daily Caller. https://dailycaller.com/2026/11/11/unaware-of-their-race-white-student-hounded-out-of-sec-school-over-monkey-taunts-says-the-whole-thing-was-a-misunderstanding

Dated from the outlet's own feed. Check the original for its byline.

The Daily Caller · collected 2026-11-12 · by John Oyewale

Quick Summary

At the University of Mississippi, three white female students were recorded making monkey noises and gestures outside an apartment occupied by black female residents. Freshman Alaina Kunes, one of the involved students, has apologized, claiming she was unaware the targets were Black and that her actions were not meant to be racist. However, another resident reported that after the initial apology, a second student continued the behavior. The university is investigating the incident following backlash on social media, particularly after the video went viral on TikTok. Kunes withdrew from school and issued an official apology through her attorney, acknowledging the insensitivity of her actions while denying intentional racism.
Written by AI on 2026-11-12, from this article's own text only (the story summary below draws on all the coverage).
See how they differ ↓

AI analysis

Story summary

Ole Miss is investigating after a viral TikTok video showed three white women, including 18-year-old Alaina Kunes, making monkey noises outside an apartment occupied by Black students. The incident occurred on November 9th and gained national attention over the weekend. In response, Kunes issued an apology, stating she was unaware of the residents' race until the video went viral. Despite her statement, Kunes has withdrawn from Ole Miss, citing death threats and harassment. Vice Chancellor Shawnboda Mead condemned the behavior, emphasizing the university's commitment to safety and respect for all students. The footage was originally shared by Jakiyra Metcalf, one of the Black students living in the apartment.

Written for “Racist Incident At Ole Miss” on 2026-11-12, grounded in this article and the 19 other(s) covering the same event.

How they differ

8 outlets covered “Racist Incident At Ole Miss”.

What each outlet says

One AI summary per outlet of its latest article on this story, written from that article alone and checked against it. Open the article for the outlet's own words.

Daily CallerThis outlet12 Nov

At the University of Mississippi, three white female students were recorded making monkey noises and gestures outside an apartment occupied by black female residents. Freshman Alaina Kunes, one of the involved students, has apologized, claiming she was unaware the targets were Black and that her actions were not meant to be racist. However, another resident reported that after the initial apology, a second student…

‘Unaware Of Their Race’: White Student Hounded Out Of SEC School Over Monkey Taunts Says The Whole Thing Was A Misunderstanding (this article)
CBS News12 Nov

Black students at the University of Mississippi discussed a racist incident where two students were recorded outside their apartment making monkey gestures and noises. The affected student, Jericka Duncan, described the encounter as extremely hurtful. The article focuses on the impact of this racially charged act on those who experienced it directly.

Black students speak about racist incident caught on video: "It was like a slap in the face" →5 articles from CBS News on this story
New York Post11 Nov

A University of Mississippi student who made monkey noises at black students has raised over $20,000 through a controversial online fundraiser created by a self-proclaimed independent journalist. The fundraiser claims to support the student financially and encourages others facing similar backlash to resist issuing apologies. Meanwhile, one of the targeted black students confirmed that after an initial apology from…

Ole Miss coed who ‘doubled down with monkey noises’ when confronted by black students raises thousands in racist fundraiser →4 articles from New York Post on this story
Daily Mail12 Nov

Lauren Mayfield, an Ole Miss student, was filmed outside an apartment making monkey gestures alongside another student identified as Alaina Kunes. While Kunes has apologized and withdrawn from the university, Mayfield faces online support through a fundraiser that has raised over $42,584 to defend her against accusations of racism. The fundraiser's organizer claims Mayfield did nothing wrong and criticizes…

Blonde Ole Miss student who stood by friend hurling racial taunts has fundraiser set up for her: 'She's done nothing wrong!' →3 articles from Daily Mail on this story
The Independent11 Nov

Alaina Kunes, 18, one of three white women seen making racist gestures outside an off-campus apartment at the University of Mississippi (Ole Miss) where three Black students lived, has issued a public apology. The incident occurred on November 6 and was recorded by a Ring doorbell camera. In her statement, Kunes expressed regret for her actions but claimed she did not intend to offend anyone based on race. She also…

Woman at center of viral Ole Miss racist video speaks out and admits ‘insensitive’ remarks →2 articles from The Independent on this story
NBC News11 Nov

Three women, reportedly white, were filmed outside an off-campus apartment at Ole Miss making monkey gestures and noises on Friday. One of them, Alaina Kunes, 18, later apologized, claiming she was unaware the residents were Black. The other woman doubled down when confronted. The victims, two Black students named Jakiyra Metcalf and Victoria Johnson, expressed feelings of hurt and devastation over the incident. Ole…

Ole Miss students ‘devastated’ by racist monkey gestures and noises captured on door camera →2 articles from NBC News on this story
Show 2 more outlets
The Daily Wire11 Nov

This article criticizes ABC World News Tonight for airing footage of alleged racist behavior by two students at the University of Mississippi, claiming the incident is not nationally relevant and questioning the network's motives for covering it. The author argues that nearly 10 million viewers watched the segment, which focused on students making racially offensive gestures outside a black student’s apartment…

Only An Idiot Would Fall For The Ole Miss Hate Hoax →2 articles from The Daily Wire on this story
The Guardian11 Nov

Two white students at the University of Mississippi were filmed making monkey gestures outside an apartment complex on Saturday, a video that has garnered nearly 13 million views and widespread condemnation for its racist implications. Freshman Jakiyra Metcalf shared surveillance footage showing one woman mimicking monkey noises while another joined in. One of the women involved, Alaina Kunes, apologized through her…

Two white students at University of Mississippi make monkey gestures in Ring video →

Where they agree and split

Agreed

Reported by outlets on both sides of the middle

Amid the huge backlash to the viral video, Kunes has claimed that her family has received death threats.

5 outlets
Show 3 more

“I would have never intentionally made those noises or gestures toward a person of color,” Kunes said.

5 outlets

The University of Mississippi launched an investigation into the incident, Shawnboda Mead, the school’s vice chancellor for student affairs, said in an email sent to the campus Sunday.

4 outlets

“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.”

4 outlets

Framing

How the first headlines put it

Stated as fact2
The headlines (2)

Ole Miss investigating "deeply troubling" video of racist gestures CBS News · stated as fact

Ole Miss launches investigation after students caught on camera making monkey noises toward home of Black students The Independent · stated as fact

Words to watch (1)

Woman at center of viral Ole Miss racist video speaks out and admits ‘insensitive’ remarks The Independent

The full story: what happened, how it changed, and all 20 articles →

Compared with similar articles

This article reads leans left and hedges 12% of its claims. Each row says how that neighbour differs.
NBC News
Hedges 1 of 21 claims Outlet record 77/100
CBS News
Leans left Hedges 0 of 13 claims Outlet record 68/100
The Guardian
Hedges 2 of 20 claims Outlet record 65/100
The Daily Wire
Hedges 2 of 38 claims Outlet record 59/100
CBS News
Leans left Hedges 0 of 2 claims Outlet record 68/100
New York Post
Leans left Hedges 0 of 18 claims Outlet record 66/100
CBS News
Hedges 0 of 29 claims Outlet record 68/100
NBC News
Hedges 1 of 28 claims Outlet record 77/100

Story

Racist Incident At Ole Miss
Education · 20 article(s) covering the same event. Compare every outlet's account →
How this article was measured signals, leaning charts, publisher record, byline, topics and claims

Signals How these are calculated →

Claims extracted
24
sentences that state something as happening or true
Uncertain
12%
3 of 24 hedged ("reportedly", "may", "according to")
Leaning
Leans left
of the writing, not the subject · beta estimate
Publisher signals
92/100
The Daily Caller's corrections and hedging, across everything collected from it. Not a measure of accuracy.
Outlets on this story
20
Education
Same framing elsewhere
1
articles that frame the event the way this one does
Analyzed 2026-11-12 · how these are computed

How this is being covered How these are calculated →

Article leaning vs. publisher reliability
Source leaning vs. consistency

Publisher

The Daily Caller · 148 article(s) · 0 correction(s) detected
No corrections detected for this publisher. That may mean careful reporting, or simply that nothing has been checked.

Who wrote this

John Oyewale
3 article(s) here · 1 carrying a prediction
I would have never intentionally made those noises or gestures toward a person of color.
“While the Board has no reason to believe that either national security or NVIDIA secrets were compromised, the Board’s inquiry will examine all available information,” Nvidia’s Board of Directors said Sunday.
Yahya Saree, a spokesman for the Houthis, promised retaliation against Saudi Arabia, saying that the country would “pay a heavy price for every crime and act of aggression,” the New York Times reported.
Also by John Oyewale
Nothing else under this byline is closely related to this article, so these are simply their most recent.

Topics

Black CBS CBS News Ole Miss the University of Mississippi

Subjects

CBS News ORG · 4× Kunes PERSON · 4× Metcalf PERSON · 2× Ole Miss ORG · 2× the University of Mississippi ORG · 2× @CBSNews ORG · 1× Alaina Kunes PERSON · 1× Black NORP · 1× CBS ORG · 1× Jakiyra Metcalf PERSON · 1×

Narrative

One of the three white female students of the University of Mississippi who were caught on doorbell video making monkey noises and gestures at an apartment housing black female students apologized but insisted that she did not know the residents were black and that her actions were not intended as racist taunts.
framing: assertive · carried by 1 article(s) · first seen 2026-11-12
I would have never intentionally made those noises or gestures toward a person of color.

Claims (24 extracted, 3 hedged)

One of the three white female students of the University of Mississippi who were caught on doorbell video making monkey noises and gestures at an apartment housing black female students apologized but insisted that she did not know the residents were black and that her actions were not intended as racist taunts. asserted
actions → catch → taunts
Freshman Alaina Kunes, 18, told the fellow students in the apartment that she was sorry and that she and the other two girls had carried out the same acts at four other doors, CBS News reported Wednesday. “We actually went outside and tried to, like, approach them and, like, get them to explain why they did that asserted
they → tell → that
,” Jakiyra Metcalf, the black female student in the apartment who first discovered the video on the apartment’s doorbell camera, told CBS News. asserted
who → discover → News
The University of Mississippi has launched an investigation after video was shared on social media that appeared to show students making racist gestures outside another student’s home. asserted
students → launch → home
Footage captured on a doorbell camera shows two girls making monkey sounds and gestures as they pass by. asserted
they → capture → sounds
The person who posted it said it came from a camera on her daughter’s apartment door and that she is a freshman at Ole Miss and has two Black roommates, according to CBS affiliate. uncertain
she → post → affiliate
— CBS News (@CBSNews) November 10, 2026 “One girl was apologizing. asserted
girl → apologize → ?
She was, like, ‘I’m sorry. asserted
I → ’m → ?
We’ve did that to like four doors.’ asserted
We → do → doors
And mind you, we didn’t see anyone else’s story, it was just ours that was targeted. asserted
that → mind → story
And she was, like, ‘We didn’t mean any harm’,” Victoria Johnson, Metcalf’s roommate, told the outlet. asserted
Johnson → mean → outlet
(RELATED: Ole Miss Launches Investigation Into Students Filmed Doing Monkey Impressions Outside Black Students’ Apartment) asserted
Miss → launch → Apartment
The second female student caught making the monkey noises and gestures doubled down, the outlet reported. asserted
outlet → catch → noises
“”She continued to make the gestures after the girl was apologizing. asserted
girl → continue → gestures
Johnson told the outlet. asserted
Johnson → tell → outlet
Metcalf posted the video to TikTok on Nov. 7, where it garnered significant attention. asserted
it → post → attention
Kunes withdrew from the university, her attorney told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel on Tuesday, and issued a public apology through her attorney to news outlets. asserted
attorney → withdraw → outlets
“Before the incident on Nov. 6, I never met the women involved and was unaware of their race, however, I recognize my actions were insensitive, inappropriate, and deeply harmful. asserted
actions → meet → race
I would have never intentionally made those noises or gestures toward a person of color. asserted
I → make → color
I have apologized to the women and I pray they will forgive me,” Kunes’s statement read in part, WAPT News reported. asserted
News → apologize → part
Kunes alleged that she and her family had received death threats and faced harassment and she thanked authorities for working to keep them safe. asserted
she → allege → them
Kunes is the granddaughter of Gregg Kunes, the founder of Kunes Auto Group, a major Midwestern car dealership, according to CBS News. uncertain
Kunes → accord → News
She called the incident “an embarrassing ordeal” and said she “intend[ed] to cooperate fully with the University’s investigation,” according to the statement. uncertain
she → call → statement
The university is investigating the incident. asserted
university → investigate → incident
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