Lauryn Licari's Mom Kendra Had 'Fun' Filming Doc About Cyberbullying Scandal

Despite having to relive her decision to cyberbully her daughter, Kendra Licari appeared to enjoy sharing her side of the story in Netflix’s tell-all documentary.

Unknown Number: The High School Catfish director Skye Borgman spoke about her experience interviewing Lauryn Licari’s mother, telling Variety earlier this month, “[Kendra] was nervous about going on camera, because just sitting down and telling your story is a nerve-racking thing sometimes.”

Borgman praised Kendra for choosing to take part in the project.

“But she was so great, and she actually ended up really loving the experience. At the end of it, she said it was kind of fun,” Borgman recalled. “She laughed about things, and I think it was really an opportunity for her to think about things a little bit more in depth. Every time I would ask a question, she would really have to think about some things, and I think that was really good for her.”

The documentary, which premiered in August, unpacked the real-life case of Lauryn and her then-boyfriend, Owen McKenny, who received concerning text messages in 2020. The messages briefly stopped before resuming a year later with more graphic threats.

Lauryn at one point got 40 to 50 messages a day before the FBI stepped in — and revealed that Kendra was behind the harassment. Kendra was arrested and pleaded guilty to two counts of stalking a minor: one count each for Lauryn and Owen. She was sentenced to 19 months in prison and was released in August 2024. Kendra is not allowed to remain in contact with her victims, including her daughter.

“Kendra is a little bit of an enigma. I think that she had a lot of time to think about what she did,” Borgman noted. “She was in therapy when she was incarcerated, and I believe that she’s still seeing a therapist.”

She continued: “[Kendra] has put thought into what she did. I don’t know that she’s fully realized or recognized what it was that she did or why she did it. I guess only Kendra could really answer that.”

While discussing the work that went into Unknown Number, Borgman said it wasn’t hard to get everyone involved to participate.

“Everyone we talked to had such big feelings about this story. It was very immediate for them, and it was very raw. So, asking them to sit down and talk to us was really a matter of me gaining their trust and understanding why it was that they wanted to tell their story,” she added. “For the most part, people just wanted to be heard, and they felt that this was an important story to tell because of the cyberbullying element. It was incredibly traumatizing to everybody involved.”

The documentary showed Kendra’s perspective on trying to move on after the scandal. Lauryn, for her part, said in the doc that she would like to see her mom “when the time is right.”

“I hope me and my mom can rebuild our relationship, because I feel like I’m definitely missing a part of me,” she shared. “Now that she’s out [of prison], I just want her to get the help that she needs, so then, when we see each other, it doesn’t go back to the old ways and how it was before. Being without that relationship I think is really hurting me, and I think rebuilding our relationship will help both of us a lot. I love her more than anything.”

Borgman spoke with Netflix’s Tudum in August about how Lauryn has been doing “a lot of pretty critical thinking” about what happened between her and her mother since being interviewed for the doc.

“She is at the beginning of figuring out that she can be the one in charge, that she can make all the decisions for herself and for her relationship with her mother,” Borgman shared. “I think that’s going to be a really interesting place for Lauryn to explore.”

Unknown Number: The High School Catfish is streaming now on Netflix.