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Mary Kate Cornett, an 18-year-old freshman at the University of Mississippi who became the target of a vicious online harassment campaign, slammed Pat McAfee during her first public interview since the fiasco. Reports indicate Cornett intends to pursue legal action against The Pat McAfee Show and other radio programs that amplified false claims about her.
The misinformation originated in late February on the anonymous social media app YikYak before moving swiftly to Twitter and eventually became a topic of conversation on The Pat McAfee Show. The baseless rumor falsely claimed that Cornett — a typical, non-celebrity college student at Ole Miss — had slept with her boyfriend’s father.
The fabricated story gained traction within Twitter’s “Burnerverse,” ultimately reaching Pat McAfee, who addressed the unfounded rumor on his nationally televised show on February 26.
What's going on at Ole Miss 😂😂#PMSLive pic.twitter.com/48ed4tI3ey
— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) February 26, 2025
During an interview with NBC Nightly News, Cornett slammed McAfee and other public figures for discussing her life and she, unlike them, is not in the public eye. In a piece published by The Athletic earlier this week, Cornett sayid the rumors have “ruined her life.”
“I’m not a public figure that you can go talk about on your show to get more views,” an emotional Cornett says during the interview. “I don’t think these boys know what they’re doing to people.”
“Having your life ruined by people who have no idea who you are is the worst feeling in the world. It makes you feel so alone. It’s a horrible experience… It was so insane. It all happened so fast. I was just in shambles. I just felt so helpless and so alone because so many people were hating on me for something that I had no idea anything about.”
Ole Miss freshman student Mary Kate Cornett who went viral for a false rumor spread about her allegedly being with her boyfriend’s father speaks out for the first time. Pat McAfee might get sued as well 😬 pic.twitter.com/zv4TyQe2Bd
— RashticReport (@RashticReport) April 2, 2025
Due to the prolifeation of false rumors about her, Cornett was forced to online classes and was moved into emergency housing to avoid harassment. Her family’s home was visited by armed police after being “swatted,” while Cornett has not yet returned to her former life on campus. She also says she now has anxiety about finding a job, and her future children coming across the story.