Mississippi viral racist video sparks backlash, woman issues apology

Our other big story tonight, she was caught on camera making racist gestures and sounds outside the door of an apartment rented by black students. And now the Wisconsin native at the center of this viral video at the University of Mississippi has withdrawn from the school. Sam Kramer is joining us live in the newsroom. Sam, what else did we learn today? Hi there, Ben and Kim. Melinda Kunis hired an attorney and crisis communicator who shared an apology with news outlets today. We'll get to that in a minute. They say other reporting that claims she withdrew because of harassment is not true. Now, this stems from video that was recorded Friday night on a doorbell camera in off-campus housing at the University of Mississippi. The first woman to make those gestures is Kunis. She is the daughter of Scott Kunis, the former chief operating officer, Wisconsin-based Kunis Automotive Group. Her grandfather, Greg, still owns the company, which we've reported on before. An employee put the N-word on a customer's oil change sticker you just saw there in 2025. Now, Kunis, she graduated from Elkhorn Area High School and was a freshman at Ole Miss this semester. Her decision to withdraw came after her attorney shared this apology today, which reads in To the women I offended and to the Ole Miss community, I sincerely apologize. Before the incident on November 6th, I never met the women involved 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. 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. These girls deserve to feel seen and understood, and what I did is not a reflection of who I am trying to become. Over the past several days, my family and I have received death threats and harassment. I am grateful for the authorities working to ensure our safety. As I intend to cooperate fully with the university's investigation, I ask for privacy for my family. She closes in saying, I understand the seriousness of the situation and remain committed to taking responsibility and learning from this embarrassing ordeal. Close quote. Now, we also spoke with the media relations staff at Ole Miss. Tonight, a spokesman says he could not comment on the status of the school's investigation or if it changes now that she has withdrawn. He also was not sure whether the other two students who are seen in that video are still enrolled at Ole Miss. Live in the newsroom, Sam Kramer, Fox 6 News. Sam, do we know anything about the other two women? No, again, none of them have been publicly identified by reputable news outlets. Again, unsure if there's a Wisconsin connection for them or if they're just classmates and friends that they made there, again, in the Oxford, Mississippi area. But also, as we just said, unsure if they are both still enrolled as well. All right. That's been a fast-moving story. Sam Kramer, thanks for the update.