On a Saturday in November, a short clip captured from an apartment door at the University of Mississippi showed two young women mocking a monkey in the direction of Black neighbors below them. It spread across the internet to nearly thirteen million viewers, and a freshman's posting of it has set off a familiar American reckoning over what the gesture means and who carries its weight. The accused student apologized through a lawyer while denying racial intent, and the university condemned the act while leaving its consequences unspoken. Against a campus whose past includes a noose on a statue
Two White Ole Miss Students Under Investigation After Monkey Gestures Captured on Ring Camera
Freshman Jakiyra Metcalf's family and roommates were targeted in the incident, and Kunes says she and her family have received death threats and harassment.
Nearly 13 million views, and the university still hasn't said what happens next.
Mark
Start with the basics. What does the video actually show?
Mimi
Two women outside an apartment door, caught on a Ring camera. One thumps her chest and makes monkey noises, and a second jumps into view and does the same. Jakiyra Metcalf, a freshman, posted it to TikTok on Saturday.
Mark
And it spread fast.
Mimi
Nearly 13 million views. Her mother, Tasha Bolton, said the women are upstairs neighbors and that her daughter lives with two Black roommates.
Luke
Careful there. That detail about the neighbors and the roommates comes from Bolton, not from the university.
Mimi
Fair. It's the mother's account, and the family isn't speaking publicly yet.
Mark
Alaina Kunes has responded. What did she say?
Mimi
She apologized through a Chicago law firm and said she would never have intentionally made those noises toward a person of color. She also said she and her family have received death threats.
Luke
Two things there. Her denial of racial intent is her own claim, and the threats are her own report too. The story doesn't verify either one. She did say authorities are working on their safety.
Mark
What has the university said?
Mimi
Vice-chancellor Shawnboda Mead condemned it and asked people not to share unverified information about who was involved. The school has reached out to the affected students.
Luke
And what we don't know is whether anyone has been disciplined or is still enrolled. The spokesperson didn't answer on Tuesday.
Mimi
Which is why the history gets mentioned: the 2014 noose on the statue, and the monkey noises at a protest a decade later.
El Pulso
- A surveillance clip of two women imitating monkey noises and gestures toward Black neighbors has reached nearly 13 million TikTok views.
- A freshman's roommates were targeted, and her family has publicly voiced disgust while choosing not to speak further.
- One accused student, Alaina Kunes, has apologized through a Chicago law firm, insisting her behavior had nothing to do with race.
- Kunes says her family is receiving death threats, pulling the story toward questions of safety on both sides.
- The university has condemned the video and urged people not to share unverified details, but has not confirmed any discipline.
- The investigation's outcome and any disciplinary decision remain open, with the campus's history of racist incidents shaping the scrutiny.
On a Saturday in November, a short clip captured from an apartment door at the University of Mississippi showed two young women mocking a monkey in the direction of Black neighbors below them. It spread across the internet to nearly thirteen million viewers, and a freshman's posting of it has set off a familiar American reckoning over what the gesture means and who carries its weight. The accused student apologized through a lawyer while denying racial intent, and the university condemned the act while leaving its consequences unspoken. Against a campus whose past includes a noose on a statue and monkey noises aimed at a Black protester, the episode asks once more whether a school's words about belonging can hold when the cruelty is caught on camera.
The clip is brief and taken from a camera mounted at an apartment door. One young woman thumps her chest and babbles like a monkey, and a second joins in. On Saturday, freshman Jakiyra Metcalf posted the footage to TikTok, and it quickly drew nearly 13 million views and fierce outrage over its racist meaning.
Her mother, Tasha Bolton, responded on Facebook the same day, calling the behavior disgusting and unacceptable and saying college should be a place where young adults feel safe. Her daughter shares an apartment with two Black roommates, and the women in the video live upstairs. The family has not yet spoken publicly about what happened.
One of the women, 18-year-old Alaina Kunes, responded through a Chicago law firm. She apologized and said she had apologized to the women involved, but insisted race played no part and asked for forgiveness. She also said she and her family have received death threats and harassment, and asked for privacy while she cooperates with the university.
The university responded on Sunday. Vice-chancellor Shawnboda Mead condemned the video, said racism has no place on campus, and urged people not to spread unverified claims. The school has reached out to the affected students, but a spokesperson did not say whether the women are still enrolled or whether any discipline has been imposed.
The incident lands on a campus with a painful past, including a 2014 noose hung on a statue honoring its first Black student and monkey noises aimed at a Black protester a decade later. What happens next depends on the investigation's conclusion, whether discipline follows, and how deeply those earlier episodes shape the scrutiny this one now receives.
The clip is short and comes from the camera mounted at an apartment door. In it, one young woman thumps her chest and babbles in imitation of a monkey. A second woman jumps into the frame and makes the same noises. On Saturday, Jakiyra Metcalf, a freshman at the University of Mississippi, posted the footage to TikTok. It has since drawn nearly 13 million views, along with widespread outrage over the racist meaning of the gesture.
Metcalf's mother, Tasha Bolton, put her reaction on Facebook the same day. She called the behavior absolutely disgusting and unacceptable, and said college is supposed to be a place where young adults can learn, grow and feel safe. According to Bolton, her daughter lives with two Black roommates, and the women in the video are the upstairs neighbors. Bolton's husband, Brooks Bolton, said the family is not yet speaking publicly about what happened.
One of the two women has been identified as Alaina Kunes, 18. She responded through a statement released by a Chicago law firm. She apologized, but insisted her behavior was not related to race. She said she would never have intentionally made those noises or gestures toward a person of color, that she has apologized to the women, and that she prays they will forgive her.
Kunes also said that over the past several days she and her family have received death threats and harassment. She said she is grateful to the authorities working to keep them safe, intends to cooperate fully with the university's investigation, and asked for privacy for her family. She described the episode as an embarrassing ordeal and said she remains committed to taking responsibility and learning from it.
The university responded on Sunday. Shawnboda Mead, the vice-chancellor for student affairs, condemned the video. She said every student deserves to feel safe, respected and valued at the university, and that racism and actions that disparage people over an aspect of their identity have no place on campus. Mead also urged the campus community not to share unverified information about who was involved. She said the school has contacted the affected students to offer support and hear their concerns.
What the university has done beyond that remains unclear. A spokesperson did not reply to a Tuesday inquiry asking about the women's enrollment status and whether any disciplinary action has been taken.
The episode lands on a campus with a history of such incidents. In 2014, fraternity members at the university hung a noose around a statue commemorating the school's first Black student. A decade later, at a pro-Palestine demonstration, some white male counter-protesters directed monkey noises at a Black female protester.
The questions now are how the investigation concludes, whether the university announces any discipline, and how much the school's earlier incidents shape the scrutiny it faces this time.
Citas Notables
Racism and actions that disparage people because of an aspect of their identity have no place in our campus community.— Shawnboda Mead, vice-chancellor for student affairs
She would never have intentionally made those noises or gestures toward a person of color.— Alaina Kunes, in a statement via her law firm
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