Mississippi Viral Racist Video Sparks Backlash for Wisconsin Dealership

A viral video at Ole Miss connects to Kunes Auto Group

A video showing students making racist gestures and noises at the University of Mississippi has sparked a national backlash and drawn scrutiny toward a Wisconsin-based dealership group, FOX6 Milwaukee reported.

The footage depicts two students performing monkey gestures and making noises outside the apartment of a Black student. While the incident began as a campus issue, the controversy escalated when two current employees of Kunes Auto Group confirmed that one of the students in the video is the daughter of a top executive at the company.

This connection has reignited discussions regarding a perceived pattern of discrimination at the dealership, which has faced previous allegations of racial bias.

Kunes Auto Group drawn into new controversy after racist viral video sparks family connection claims

Allegations of a pattern of bias

For some, the video is not an isolated incident of youthful misconduct but a symptom of a deeper corporate culture. Carolyn Word, a customer who has purchased four vehicles from Kunes Auto Group, shared her own experiences of being targeted by staff.

Word told FOX6 Milwaukee that in March, a sales representative from the Elkhorn location sent her text messages featuring memes of a bear and an ape in a skirt.

“He said ‘haha…I thought I was going to have my first time selling a car to a bear’…it was humiliating,” Word said. She described the experience as feeling like a “blast from the past” reminiscent of her upbringing in Mississippi.

The legal implications of these overlapping incidents are being examined by attorney William Sulton. Sulton, who represents Word, also represented a woman in 2025 who reported receiving the N-word on an oil change sticker from the same group.

Ole Miss investigates viral video showing racist gestures outside student’s apartment

“I think people are right to draw this connection, this is racist behavior,” Sulton said. “This isn’t just a family issue because of the nature of the misconduct here, but they should come out do the right thing and say hey my daughter made a mistake. We don’t believe in this and we’re going to do something about it.”

The response from Kunes and Ole Miss

Kunes Auto Group has moved to distance its professional operations from the actions of the individual in the video. The company issued a statement clarifying that the student has no formal ties to the business.

“The individual in the video has no employment, ownership, or professional affiliation with Kunes Auto Group,” the company stated. “We do not comment on private citizens unaffiliated with the company. 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 University of Mississippi also addressed the video, condemning the behavior of the students involved. The university issued a message to its students and staff stating that the depicted actions are “deeply troubling, hurtful, and unacceptable” and do not reflect the community the institution strives to build.

The debate currently sits between two distinct perspectives: the view that this is a matter of individual, youthful error and the view that it reflects a systemic issue within a specific family and business structure.

Sulton argued that the recurring nature of these incidents suggests a broader problem. “People make mistakes and I recognize that, particularly young people, but this is part of a pattern of racism this permeates through their family and business,” he said.

Mississippi Viral Racist Video Sparks Backlash for Wisconsin Dealership | FOX6 Milwaukee

Word, however, expressed skepticism regarding the idea that the incidents are linked. “My thought is that it is untrue, because if that was true those incidents wouldn’t have happened,” she said.

While the dealership has denied any professional connection to the student, the Kunes family has not responded to requests for comment by phone.