Viral Female Ole Miss Student Who Was Caught Hanging With Pat McAfee Has Been Identified [PHOTOS + VIDEO]
Her identity connects to a painful chapter.
Photos from Saturday’s sideline at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium spread quickly across social media. They showed ESPN host Pat McAfee standing next to a young woman during Ole Miss’s home game.
“I know that ain’t who I think it is…” 👀 https://t.co/DqV5uuSirs
— College Sports Only (@CSOonX) September 20, 2026
The matchup itself carried plenty of drama on its own. Ole Miss beat LSU 32-24 in a game that turned tense after the final whistle, when Rebels defensive lineman Suntarine Perkins silently confronted LSU coach Lane Kiffin during the postgame handshake line.
That sideline moment between McAfee and the unidentified woman drew its own wave of attention once fans started asking who she was.
Hung out together all night #weird https://t.co/l7UtmCC8W4
— Womp Johnson 🇹🇹🇻🇦⚜️ (@wompj1969) September 20, 2026
The answer traces back to a story from last year. The woman is Mary Kate Cornett, the Ole Miss student at the center of a false rumor McAfee once helped spread.
Cornett’s History With McAfee Dates Back To February 2025
Mary Kate Cornett (Photo via Twitter)
An anonymous post falsely claimed Cornett hooked up with her boyfriend’s father in February 2025. The story spread like wildfire online, expanding into manipulated photos and online harassment directed at Cornett.
McAfee discussed the rumor on his show that same month, without naming her directly. He later acknowledged the coverage caused real harm to Cornett and her family.
“I have since learned that the story was not true and that my show played a role in the anguish caused,” McAfee said during a public apology in July 2025.
Cornett hired an attorney and threatened legal action against McAfee at the time, stating she was “not a public figure that you can go talk about.” Her family’s attorney later confirmed the dispute had been resolved outside of court.
The Rivalry Setting Added Extra Attention To Their Reunion
Lane Kiffin and Trinidad Chambliss (Photo By Imagn Images)
Ole Miss and LSU have built one of the more heated rivalries in college football over the past year. Kiffin’s move from Ole Miss to LSU made the matchup deeply personal, drawing extra eyes to Saturday’s broadcast well before kickoff.
That extra attention meant more cameras were pointed at the sideline than usual, which likely contributed to how quickly the McAfee-Cornett photos spread.
Fans on social media questioned the appearance almost immediately, given the pair’s contentious history. One post specifically referenced the earlier legal threat, adding to the confusion that many viewers expressed online.
Neither McAfee nor Cornett has offered a public explanation for their appearance together. The silence has left fans largely speculating on their own about what, if anything, has changed between them since the apology.
