University of Mississippi student Mary Kate Cornett has issued her official statement in response to the now-viral scandal where she has been accused of allegedly cheating on her boyfriend Evan Solis with his father Erik Solis.
Mary’s father Justin Cornett started a GoFundMe fundraiser in her name titled, “Stand with Mary Kate Against Defamatory Cyber Attacks,” on February 26. It has raised $18,550 at the time of writing against the goal of $50,000.
“I have been the victim of a deliberate and coordinated cyberattack spreading categorically false and defamatory information,” Ms. Cornett stated in the description.
The statement further continued that while Mary Kate’s family was “blessed with resources to pursue the truth” and “defend” their name via the “legal system,” there were many others who were “not so fortunate.”
“100% of the Proceeds from this fundraiser will be used to provide seed capital establishing a foundation focused on helping innocent victims of similar defamatory cyberattacks. Zero money raised here will be used for personal purposes,” she added.
Notably, Mary Kate Cornett has accused Barstool Sports, popular internet personality Antonio Brown, and ESPN’s College Game Day host Pat McAfee of spreading these “utter and complete lies” against her, with “zero interest in the truth.”
Exploring further Mary Kate Cornett’s response to her ongoing scandal
In her lengthy statement shared via GoFundMe, Ole Miss student Mary Kate Cornett claimed “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,” targeting her name.
“Not to be outdone by the Bots, Irresponsible independent social media influencers have been… spreading outlandish conjecture. No one affiliated with these organizations ever reached out to us for comment,” Mary’s statement claimed.
The post mentioned that her personal contact information has been “doxed illegally, shared publicly, putting my personal safety at risk.” Cornett added that there have been several alarming “notes” suggesting she should take her “own life.”
Mary Kate Cornett shared how she gained “unwanted attention” on social media platforms, including becoming “number 1 trending topic on X” in the USA. Additionally, she highlighted that an “apparent meme coin” using her “name, image, and likeness,” also garnered traction.
The statement claimed that Mary and her family had “zero affiliation with this scam and have not participated nor know anyone who has benefited in any capacity with it whatsoever.”
“The viral nature of these wholly untrue allegations have forced me to retain legal counsel, forensic data investigators, and seek alternative education/ living arrangements while we find those responsible for these utterly false accusations, which we will,” it added.
The Houston, Texas native shared that she has filed complaints with her university’s campus police, local police, and the FBI, adding “criminal charges and civil remedies will be pursued vigorously.”
Mary Kate Cornett concluded her GoFundMe post by sharing how her heart broke for the “victims of these sort of defamatory cyberattacks and public doxing.” She prayed for “strength” to fight against the same and use the unwanted attention she was receiving as a “platform to help others whose lives have been turned upside down in similar circumstances.”
Her father Justin Cornett reposted her official statement on his Facebook account while reiterating that his daughter was an alleged victim of “false, malicious, organized, and defamatory cyberattack.” He mentioned his suspicion that it was a “fraternity prank that has mushroomed out of control.”
Barstool Sports founder Dave Portnoy has denied the allegations
Barstool Sports employee Kevin “KFC” Clancy openly talked about Mary Kate Cornett’s scandal on his personal social media accounts, while Pat McAfee discussed it during his chat with Adam Schefter earlier this week, according to TMZ.
Meanwhile, Antonio Brown shared an image of comedian Shane Gillis and his girlfriend, Grace Brassel on X and mockingly captioned it, “Mary Kate Cornett & her Boyfriends Dad.”
Now, in the wake of Mary Kate’s public statement, Barstool Sports founder Dave Portnoy has denied the allegations.
“Barstool Sports did not mention or spread this rumor on any of our Barstool owned channels as far as I know. Our editors instinctively made the decision to avoid this story as it seemed there was a high likelihood it could have been fabricated. If I’m wrong about that I’m happy to see where it was posted and revisit,” Portnoy shared with New York Post.
He also mentioned that Barstool didn’t “control” their employees’ personal socials and “Whatever they post on their own is their own stuff,” in response to the viral video of KFC.
