On Friday, November 6, University of Mississippi (Ole Miss) freshman Jakiyra Metcalf shared on TikTok a video captured on the doorbell camera of her off-campus apartment, which she shares with two other Black female roommates, Kaiyden Caldwell and Victoria Johnson.
The video showed three White female students walking past the room, with two of them making monkey-like sounds and gestures at the camera.
The footage has since stirred a storm on social media, forcing one of the White students, Alaina Kunes, to withdraw from her course just three months after starting at the institution.
Now, the mother of one of the Black students has shared her opinion on Kunes’ decision, as a section of the internet expressed anger over the situation’s “double standard.”
The parent of one of the Black students said she “hates” that Kunes quit school
Metcalf, Caldwell, and Johnson, along with Johnson’s mother, Chiquita Laó, spoke at length about the incident in a November 11 interview with CBS Mornings.
Laó told the interviewer she was surprised to learn that Kunes quit her studies after being harassed online. She said it upset her, but she understood the student was likely facing the consequences of her actions.
“As a human being, I hate to hear that because, you know, the children are the future, but I feel like everybody needs to be accountable,” Laó said.
“I hate that she withdrew from the school,” she added. “You see what I’m saying, because over the course of her life, that’s going to affect her too.”
“That’s somebody’s child,” she continued. “These babies, they’re 18. So I hate that for the young people. I wish people would be mindful and just think.”
Her daughter, however, felt that it was the right move for Kunes.
“For her peace and safety, I feel it was a good option for her,” Johnson said.
The students reacted to Alaina Kunes’ apology and revealed details of their interaction right after the incident
On Tuesday, November 10, Kunes publicly identified herself as one of the women in the video and issued an apology via her law firm. In the statement, she said she had never met the students living in the apartment 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 message read.
“I have apologized to the women, and I pray they will forgive me. I can never truly understand the pain I have caused them, and it was never my intention,” she added, claiming that she and her family have been receiving “d**th threats and harassment” because of her actions.
When asked if she accepted Kunes’ apology, Metcalf said she appreciated it, but her actions remain “disrespectful,” regardless of the race of the person being subjected to them.
“It still doesn’t change what happened on that Friday because it’s still hurtful and it’s still devastating that someone would come to our door and do that,” Caldwell commented.
They previously claimed that the White students lived upstairs from them and that they had interacted before.
Elsewhere in the interview, the roommates said they confronted Kunes and her friends right away that night after seeing them on camera. The White women allegedly claimed that they had been “stimming” at multiple doors, which is not seen in the recording, and said they “didn’t mean any harm.”
Kunes, the first girl who beat her chest, said sorry on the spot. However, the second girl, who made whooping noises at the camera, continued the same gestures even as Kunes apologized. Johnson described it as “a slap in the face.”
The identities of the second or third woman, who walked past smiling, have not been made public.
Kunes’ family’s racism lawsuit resurfaced amid some users defending her actions
While Kunes and her friends have received widespread condemnation online, a few have argued that the outrage has been “blown out of proportion.”
“Grow the hell up and stop acting like a victim,” one user said. Another commented, “This is nothing but a humiliation ritual against white people.”
Another wrote, “The hypocrisy here is next level insanity,” referring to the September 2026 altercation near the York College of Pennsylvania where multiple White female students were physically attacked by a mob comprising primarily Black people.
The controversy has drawn attention to Kunes’ family, who own a Wisconsin-based automotive empire called Kunes Auto Group, with over 50 dealerships across four Midwestern states.
The company, which employs both Kunes’ father and grandfather, is currently fighting a lawsuit over alleged racism, according to court documents.
They were sued in August 2026 after Wisconsin woman Makayla Starks claimed she faced racism at one of their dealerships.
Starks purchased her car from Kunes Buick GMC of Oak Creek in early 2025 and returned months later for a complimentary oil change, TMZ reported. After the oil change, the N-word was reportedly printed on a service sticker that was placed on her windshield.
Starks said she cried in her car for 20 minutes after seeing the sickening sticker, the Wisconsin Law Journal reported.
“Freedom of speech does not make you free of consequence” one user commented
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