Student Apologizes After Viral Video Shows Her Making Ape Noises Outside Black Students’ Home
A doorbell camera recorded a University of Mississippi freshman beating her chest and making ape noises outside the apartment of three Black students. Alaina Kunes, 18, of Elkhorn, Wisconsin, apologized Tuesday and has since withdrawn from the school.
“I can never truly understand the pain I have caused them and it was never my intention,” Kunes said in a statement Tuesday. She said she did not know the people who lived in the apartment and was “unaware of their race.”
Kunes is the granddaughter of Gregg Kunes, who founded Kunes Auto Group, a Wisconsin car dealership business. The company operates dozens of dealerships across the state.
![Doorbell camera footage showed Kunes and another woman making ape noises outside the apartment of three Black students. A third woman walked past without stopping at the door. The video gained national attention after a resident posted it on TikTok. [jakiyrametcalf_ | TikTok screenshot]](http://ourdailynewsonline.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/11/Untitled-Design1283.png)
Video Draws National Attention
The footage shows Kunes and two other women walking past the front door of an off-campus apartment on Friday. Kunes is seen beating her chest, and she and a second woman make ape noises.
A third woman walks by without stopping at the door. The second woman has not been identified and has not commented on the incident. The enrollment status of the other women in the video is unclear.
Jakirya Metcalf, who lives in the apartment, posted the Ring camera footage on TikTok on Nov. 7, a day after the incident. The video went on to gain national attention.
Company Cites No Affiliation
Kunes Auto Group said in a Nov. 9 statement that the individual in the video has no employment, ownership or professional affiliation with the company. The statement added that the company does not comment on private citizens unaffiliated with it.
“Our organization is built on treating every person with dignity and respect, and we do our best to live out those values every day,” the company said. The statement came two days after the video was posted.
Attorney Thomas G. Gardiner confirmed Nov. 10 that Kunes has withdrawn from Ole Miss. He said she is the daughter of Scott Kunes and is not involved or employed with the dealership business her grandfather founded.
He added that her father is not currently involved in the business. Scott Kunes resigned as chief operating officer of Kunes Auto Group on Feb. 17.
Dealership Faced Earlier Complaints
In August, a West Allis woman filed a racial discrimination lawsuit against Kunes Buick GMC. She alleged that a technician at the dealership wrote a racial slur on her oil change sticker in 2025.
In April, another Black woman said a salesman at the Kunes dealership in Elkhorn sent her a text message of an image of a dancing ape wearing a bathing suit. The dealerships fired both employees.
Kunes Issues Public Apology
In the statement, Kunes called her actions “insensitive, inappropriate, and deeply harmful.” She said she would never intentionally make those noises or gestures toward a person of color.
“To the women I offended and to the Ole Miss community, I sincerely apologize,” she said. She added that she has apologized directly to the women who live in the apartment and prays they will forgive her.
She said what she did is not a reflection of who she is trying to become. She also said she intends to cooperate fully with the university’s investigation.
Kunes asked for privacy for her family, saying they have been harassed and have received death threats. She thanked authorities for working to keep them safe.
University and Advocates React
Shawnboda Mead, the university’s vice chancellor for student affairs, announced the investigation in an email to campus Sunday. The email described the video as showing students engaging in “racist gestures directed toward other students.”
The American Civil Liberties Union of Mississippi is looking into complaints about the incident, Candi Richardson, its director of communications and community engagement, said Monday. The university did not immediately respond to a request for comment Tuesday.
Families Seek Accountability
Tasha Bolton, the mother of one of the three students, wrote about the incident in a Facebook post Saturday. She said her daughter is a freshman who lives in the apartment with two Black roommates.
She described the women filmed as her daughter’s upstairs neighbors. “We want answers,” she wrote, asking what steps will be taken to address the behavior and ensure accountability.
Vincent Ford, 54, is the grandfather of Kaiyden Caldwell, 18, one of the women who live in the apartment. Ford, a retired federal law enforcement officer, said he was deeply disturbed by the video and wanted to ensure the women were safe.
“Even though these type of things happen, they’re not tolerated,” he said. “We’re gonna make sure that everybody’s held accountable for their actions.”
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