Mary Kate Cornett continued to fight back against the people she feels helped amplify the vile internet rumor that she said “ruined” her life.
The Ole Miss freshman became internet fodder after a wild social media claim — that she had been sleeping with her boyfriend’s father — spread like wildfire.
It was briefly discussed on “The Pat McAfee Show,” among other sports talk shows and by sports personalities.
In her second interview in as many days, Cornett hit back at McAfee and those who gave credence to the unfounded accusations during a sitdown with NBC Nightly News that aired on Wednesday.
Mary Kate Cornett — a member of the Kappa Delta sorority in Oxford — claims she’s at the center of a “deliberate and coordinated cyberattack” involving straight-up false information about her personal life. Facebook / Mary Kate Cornett
“I’m not a public figure that you can go talk about on your show to get more views,” Cornett said.
The 18-year-old Houston native told The Athletic in an article published on Tuesday — and reiterated to NBC News — that she was planning legal action against McAfee and ESPN, whom she had taken aim when she first spoke out in response to the nasty accusations.
McAfee nor ESPN have not publicly commented on the matter.
Cornett later added, in an article published on NBC News’ website, that McAfee “never once reached out to ask me if this was true or for me to give any sort of statement to him.”
“I thought it was absolutely ridiculous that an ESPN sports broadcaster would be talking about a 19-year-old girl’s ‘sex scandal’ that was completely false,” she said.
McAfee, whose popular show airs on the Worldwide Leader in Sports, referenced the salacious and unfounded gossip during his program on Feb. 26 with ESPN NFL insider Adam Schefter sitting in the guest seat.
Former NFL wide receiver Antonio Brown and Barstool Sports personality KFC Barstool have also been criticized for posts they made about the rumor.
Pat McAfee, whose show airs on ESPN, watches during workouts at the 2025 NFL Scouting Combine at Lucas Oil Stadium. Kirby Lee-Imagn Images
Cornett’s attorney, Monica Uddin, argued that what has happened to the Ole Miss freshman is tantamount to cyberbullying and defamation.
“Defamation has existed for a long time. You can’t lie about someone with impunity — and that’s what has happened to Mary Kate,” she said. “You can’t lie for money.”
“Not using her name is not a ‘Get Out of Jail Free’ card, saying ‘allegedly’ is not a ‘Get Out of Jail Free’ card,” the attorney said. “These people are responsible for what they have done to her.”
Mary Kate Cornett continued to fight back against the people she feels have helped amplify the vile internet rumor about the member of the Kappa Delta sorority. Instagram / Mary Kate Cornett
Cornett has said that her life has been turned upside down since the rumor blew up and became a topic of discussion around the country.
“Having the entire internet, half of the country hating you, and calling you disgusting things, telling you to kill yourself, telling you that you’re a horrible person, that you deserve to die. That’s a really hard thing for a girl to go through,” she said.
The college student said she has received harassing texts and voicemails that called her a “whore,” “a slut” and that she deserved to die over an internet rumor that Cornett said she had “zero truth to it.”
“I don’t think these boys realize what they’re doing to people,” Cornett said while holding back tears. “It’s awful and 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.”