Dad of 18-year-old college student speaks out about false sex rumor that shocked the nation

The father of a college student at Ole Miss who found herself at the center of a cruel and false viral rumor about a sex scandal has spoken out about the impact on his daughter’s well-being.

Justin Cornett revealed that his daughter, 18-year-old Mary Kate, has been deeply affected by the untrue allegations that she was involved in a sexual relationship with Evan Solis, her boyfriend’s father, leading to numerous death threats targeted at her.

The allegations spread like wildfire, forcing the University of Mississippi freshman and her boyfriend to publicly deny them on Instagram.

Now the FBI and local police are hunting down the source of the malicious cyber campaign that has brought immense strain on her family.

‘During this challenging period, our family has been facing immense difficulty, and we are grateful for the support we have received,’ shared Justin Cornett, 49, who is separated from Mary Kate’s mother, Leslie, 53, in an interview with DailyMail.com.

‘The authorities, both local and federal, are fully engaged in the process and are making progress.’

The father-of-five energy industry entrepreneur based in Houston, said his terrified daughter is coping ‘pretty horribly given the gravity of the situation’.

‘She wasn’t looking for this attention and this is pretty unfair. It’s been very difficult for us to have any semblance of a normal life,’ he told DailyMail.com.

The Cornetts have now brought in an attorney, who called the allegations ‘gross’, and have filed a report with the Oxford Police Department. 

‘The gross rumor about Mary Kate that exploded online last week is completely false,’ family attorney Monica Uddin told DailyMail.com

‘She wasn’t auditioning for a reality show, she wasn’t trying to be an influencer, she wasn’t trying to be famous.’

She said the ‘crazy fake rumor’ made it onto X (formally Twitter) because Mary Kate is ‘an unusually good looking young girl’ and also because it is ‘salacious.’

She added: ‘The strange consequence of technology today is that it used to be a crappy rumor about somebody might go around campus or your church but your life would go back to normal.

Ole Miss student Mary Kate Cornett’s nightmare began out of the blue when posts appeared online claiming she had a sexual relationship with the father of her boyfriend, Evan Solis, 19

‘Nowadays it can trend on Twitter or TikTok or whatever.

‘But even beyond that, people can manufacture fake photographs and images and for the average person scrolling if they see something that looks like it’s corroboration nobody stops and asks any questions – they just believe it and they keep going.

‘Or worse, they don’t think about it all and they keep talking about it and that’s what some sports media figures have done.’

Uddin faulted people adding fuel to the grotesque rumors, seemingly referencing online influencer hosts former NFL player Antonio Brown and ESPN personality Pat McAfee.

McAfee referenced the story in an interview last week, but didn’t mention Cornett by name and stated it was an allegation. 

The Cornetts have set up a GoFundMe to help support other families who may share the same experience. 

In a statement posted to the account, Mary Kate, who turns 19 on March 20, wrote, ‘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.

‘Not to be outdone by the Bots, irresponsible independent social media influencers with apparent links 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.

‘No one affiliated with these organizations ever reached out to us for comment. Most alarmingly, my personal contact information has been doxed illegally shared publicly, putting my personal safety at risk. Many notes sent suggest I even take my own life.’ 

In a bizarre and shameless twist, bad actors launched a cryptocurrency meme coin featuring Mary Kate’s likeness which is currently being traded.

Cornett’s family say she is suffering ‘horribly’ because of the coordinated viral campaign and have now brought in an attorney

Cornett’s father spoke about the trauma his 18-year-old daughter ​​- who has received multiple death threats following the viral nightmare – is going through as the police and FBI launch dual investigations

‘Because of the meme coin that was released about this awful incident you can get a direct financial incentive for pumping this fake story with fake pictures.

‘If you time it right you can literally make money off of it.

‘Because she wasn’t looking for any fame it’s like she stepped on a grenade.

‘And now every employer will search her name and will see this fake story that will follow her for the rest of her life.’

Her young client, added Uddin, is feeling ‘awful.’

‘She’s such a focus of attention that people catcall her when she leaves her dorm,’ she said.

‘Campus security told her that it’s not safe for her to go to class.

Both her and the family have said the false rumors have caused immense strain, and have now brought in an attorney who called the allegations ‘gross’

In a bizarre and shameless twist, bad actors launched a cryptocurrency meme coin featuring Mary Kate’s likeness which is currently being traded

‘She’s received death threats. She was doxxed – so her cell phone and address were posted online.

‘She’s gotten the most disgusting messages you can imagine.’

Uddin said the identity of the fake rumor is unknown, ‘but rest assured we are doing everything conceivably possible to find out.

‘I think many of them are not as clever about disguising their identity as they think they are.

Cornett boyfriend Solis has also released a statement slamming the ‘unbelievable rumors’ about his family. He said his father is ‘wholly innocent’

Mary Kate’s father Justin has said the authorities are ‘fully engaged’ with the investigation and has warned other parents to be vigilant about protecting their children

‘To be clear, it’s completely false but also it’s so disconnected from anything.

‘It really could happen to anyone – and god help you if you’re attractive.’

Cornett called on other parents to be vigilant about protecting their own children from similar campaigns of abuse.

‘My heart breaks for any family that has gone through trauma like this,’ he told DailyMail.com.

‘I hope that all parents take the time to talk to your children and urge caution online

‘One simple, loving, and empathetic conversation can make the difference in someone’s life.

‘No one deserves to feel this sort of pain.’

Cornett boyfriend Solis also released a statement slamming the ‘unbelievable rumors’ about his family.

In an Instagram post last week, he wrote: ‘The accusations are unequivocally false. Also, my faith in my father and our relationship is unwavering. He is wholly innocent and being unfairly slandered with no opportunity to speak on his own behalf prior to these horrendously false statements.’

‘Please know that spreading outrageous accusations with no regard to veracity is as inexcusable as starting the rumor itself. What we say and believe have real consequences for others. I pray we can use this painful moment to learn and grow going forward.’

A spokesperson for ESPN said ‘no comment’ when contacted by DailyMail.com.  

Barstool Sports founder Dave Portnoy denied the accusations. ‘Barstool Sports did not mention or spread this rumor on any of our Barstool owned channels as far as I know,’ he said.

‘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.’