Ole Miss Student Says Online Rumors Sparked Death Threats and Harassment
A University of Mississippi student is speaking out after college sports accounts on X (formerly Twitter) , Instagram, and TikTok allegedly began spreading rumors about her sex life — stoking what she calls a “deliberate and coordinated” online harassment campaign.
Mary Kate Cornett, a Kappa Delta Sorority at Ole Miss (a nickname of the school), began trending last week after several anonymous accounts on X shared screenshots alleging Cornett had an illicit affair with her boyfriend’s father. Many of the accounts are verified on X, which can be purchased alongside a Twitter Blue subscription and prioritizes content on the platform. Additional accounts joined in the discussion, spreading Cornett’s name and personal information around the app until she became a trending topic on X. Unknown individuals also used her name to start a memecoin — cryptocurrency based on viral names or trends. People have used Cornett’s name as a joke and a derogatory insult, calling the student misogynistic and sexually violent things.
“I have been the victim of a deliberate and coordinated cyberattack spreading categorically false and defamatory information. Partially and wholly edited screenshots, fake AI generated videos and manipulated photographs have been promoted by irresponsible social media participants and amplified by thousands of fake accounts,” Cornett said in a statement Thursday. “Most alarmingly, my personal contact information has been doxed and illegally shared publicly, putting my personal safety at risk. I have received thousands of harassing calls and texts of a sick and demented nature, some of which suggest I even take my own life.”
In addition to the X accounts, the Ole Miss student also called out sports journalists and influencers who she says spread the rumor on their platforms. ESPN’s College GameDay host Pat McAfee mentioned the story in a recent episode of The Pat McAfee Show and Barstool Sports host Kevin Clancy shared a video about it on his X account. “Not to be outdone by the Bots, irresponsible independent social media influencers with apparent ties to Barstool Sports and even major public figures like Antonio Brown and Pat McAfee who hosts ESPN’s College Game Day have shared these utter and complete lies with zero interest in the truth, but instead spreading outlandish conjecture,” Cornett added. “No one affiliated with these organizations ever reached out to us for comment.” Representatives for McAfee and Brown did not respond to Rolling Stone‘s request for comment.
Barstool owner Dave Portnoy denied involvement. “Barstool Sports did not mention or spread this rumor on any of our Barstool owned channels,” he said in a statement to Rolling Stone. “Our editors instinctively made the decision to avoid this story as it seemed there was a high likelihood it could have been fabricated. I do know one of our employees posted something on their personal socials but we don’t control those.”
In an accompanying statement, Cornett’s father, Justin Cornett, called the rumors a “categorically false, malicious, organized and defamatory cyber attack” that he believes began as a fraternity prank. “I refuse to let my family be targeted and am fully committed to pursuing all criminal and civil actions available,” he said. “To those responsible, we will find you.”
Cornett’s family has also set up a GoFundMe they say will go to starting a foundation for “helping innocent victims” of similar online campaigns. “My heart breaks for the victims of defamatory cyber attacks and public doxing like this. The pain and heartbreak is immense,” Cornett said. “These lies have affected my family, my friends, my social organizations and school administrators. Ultimately, I have confidence we will get through this and ask for any and all support while our family and others affected slowly heal.”
