Inside the Love Island USA Racism Scandal: Backstage Drama and Blame Revealed

From surprise recouplings to steamy challenges, there’s been no end to the drama throughout season seven of Peacock’s Love Island USA.

But the onscreen antics have been overshadowed by the biggest scandal of all, when cast member Cierra Ortega’s racist remarks resurfaced on social media – prompting her sudden removal from the show.

Love Island USA narrator Iain Stirling made the announcement just 15 minutes into episode 30, which aired on Sunday evening. 

He told fans that the 25-year-old content creator from Los Angeles had left the villa, leaving fellow contestant Nic Vansteenberghe single.

‘Welcome back to Love Island USA. Cierra has left the villa due to a personal situation, leaving Nic officially single,’ Stirling said.

However, Ortega’s disappearance didn’t come as a surprise to many Love Island USA viewers who have been publicly calling on Peacock to remove Ortega from the villa.

Love Island USA season seven contestant Cierra Ortega has been removed from the villa after her social media posts using a racial slur had resurfaced online

Ortega, a 25-year-old content creator from Los Angeles, was suddenly removed from the series ‘due to a personal situation’

Their fury stems from Ortega’s resurfaced Instagram post from February 2023, in which she used a racial slur toward the Asian community.

This wasn’t the first time Ortega had used the derogatory comment either. 

Fans also unearthed her Instagram post from January 2015, where she used the same racial slur to describe her smile.

To make matters worse, Ortega is the second person to be removed from Love Island USA this season over past remarks; Yulissa Escobar was abruptly ousted from the villa – similarly with little explanation – just two episodes into the season.

The Miami native was exposed for using a racial slur during two separate podcast appearances, which had resurfaced online. 

Following her departure, Escobar issued a lengthy apology, saying that she didn’t ‘fully understand the weight, history or pain behind’ the epithet.

Despite Love Island USA producers acting swiftly and removing both Ortega and Escobar from the villa, viewers have expressed their frustration with the show and some even plan on boycotting the remainder of the season.

But a source close to Love Island USA has explained to the Daily Mail that their anger shouldn’t be directed towards production staff, who typically bend over backwards to avoid such messy scandals in the first place.

An Instagram Story post from February 2023 showed Ortega getting Botox treatments, using a slur toward the Asian community to describe her smile

Another post from January 2015 showed a photo of Ortega at the top of a mountain, using a version of the slur to describe how she smiles in the caption

‘It’s frustrating and annoying,’ the casting insider told the Daily Mail.

The insider explained that contestants are instructed to purge their social media accounts of ‘anything racist, sexist or homophobic’ before going on the show.

‘We tell them to go through their social media to make sure there isn’t a problem,’ they said, adding that Ortega ‘would have presumably looked’ at her insensitive Instagram posts and ‘not seen it as an issue.’

‘I don’t think she thought that it was a big deal, but it’s not OK and she should have known that,’ the source explained.

While production and casting does their fair share of vetting cast members’ social media, the insider admitted that they ‘sometimes have to trust that [contestants] understand what’s acceptable and what’s not.’

‘Everyone involved in the show is annoyed at her and at the situation right now, but it is what it is,’ they added.

Ortega joined this season of Love Island USA as a bombshell in episode one, entering the villa with fellow contestant Charlie Georgiou during a blindfolded kissing challenge.

She formed an instant connection with Nic Vansteenberghe, a 24-year-old nurse and model from Florida. While Vansteenberghe had been coupled up with Belle-A Walker at the time, he ultimately chose Ortega during the recoupling and sent Walker home.

Ortega joined Love Island USA on day two as a bombshell, entering the villa with fellow contestant Charlie Georgiou during a blindfolded kissing challenge

Ortega formed an instant connection with Nic Vansteenberghe, a 24-year-old nurse and model from Florida

Ortega and Vansteenberghe were one of the strongest pairings in the villa and decided to make their relationship exclusive during a one-on-one date

Since then, Ortega and Vansteenberghe have been one of the strongest pairings in the villa and even decided to make their relationship exclusive during a one-on-one date, just days before her removal from the villa.

Before the backlash, Ortega was close to hitting one million followers on Instagram. But as screenshots of her past racist posts surfaced online, she quickly lost over 100,000 followers and currently has 693,000 followers on the app.

Following Sunday’s episode, the influencer’s family issued a statement on her Instagram Story addressing her departure. 

In the statement, her parents acknowledged Ortega’s problematic remarks but pleaded with viewers to stop leaving negative comments on her social media accounts.

‘As Cierra’s parents, this has been one of the most painful weeks of our lives,’ the post began.

‘We’re not here to justify or ignore what’s surfaced. We understand people are upset, and we know accountability matters. But what’s happening online right now has gone far beyond that,’ they continued.

‘The threats. The cruel messages. The attacks on her family, her friends, even her supporters, it’s heartbreaking. It’s uncalled for. And no one deserves that kind of hate, no matter what mistake they’ve made.’

They noted that Ortega still doesn’t have access to her phone and ‘hasn’t had the chance to process any of this or speak for herself.’

Ortega’s family issued a statement following the backlash, in which they asked for ‘compassion,’ ‘patience,’ and ‘basic human decency’

‘But we know our daughter. We know her heart. And when she returns, we believe she’ll face this with honesty, growth, and grace,’ they said. 

‘While she’ll always be our little girl, she’s also a woman, one who will take responsibility in her own time and her own voice.

The statement concluded with her parents asking for ‘compassion,’ ‘patience,’ and ‘basic human decency,’ thanking those who have ‘continued to show love, even when it’s not easy.’

Despite viewers urging production to remove Ortega from the villa over her past racist remarks, the online response to her departure was mixed.

While many people celebrated Ortega’s ousting from the series – especially after Vansteenberghe coupled up with fan-favorite Olandria Carthen later in the episode – some users on X/Twitter feared how the negative reaction will impact Ortega’s mental health.

‘I’m not defending nor excusing whatever Cierra did or said but the lack of consideration for that girl and her mental health is absolutely insane to me and the producers are deada** wrong,’ wrote one user on X.

‘I’m honestly in disbelief that social media got Cierra kicked out of the villa. This was truly an unfortunate situation that she could have grown from, she did not need to be removed from the show,’ another said.

However, one person who didn’t hold back their thoughts on Ortega’s use of a racial slur was season seven cast member Belle-A Walker.

Love Island USA season seven contestant Belle-A Walker weighed in on the scandal in a post shared to her Instagram Story

Walker was initially in a couple with Vansteenberghe, but she was dumped from the villa after he chose to couple up with Ortega

Walker, who is of Filipino descent, didn’t mention Ortega by name but thanked Love Island USA producers for taking action

Walker, who is of Filipino descent, took to her Instagram Story to weigh in on the scandal. While she didn’t mention Ortega by name, she expressed her gratitude towards Love Island USA’s producers for taking action.

‘As a proud Asian American woman, I’m deeply appreciative of the Love Island USA producers for taking a stand and making it clear that racism of any kind is not tolerated,’ she began her message.

Walker explained that she was ‘incredibly heartbroken’ when she first saw screenshots of Ortega’s past social media posts, and later ‘made the decision to unfollow’ Ortega on Instagram.

‘Asian hate is oftentimes overlooked and dismissed. But being a first-generation American, I have personally witnessed and experienced how real and hurtful comments like these are. It is my hope that this situation can help shed light on how big of an issue anti-Asian hate actually is.’

Walker emphasized that although she doesn’t ‘condone bigotry or racism of any kind,’ she also doesn’t ‘condone hate either’ and urged her followers to ‘please think twice before leaving unkind comments to or about’ Ortega.

Love Island USA season seven premiered on June 3, 2025 on Peacock, with Vanderpump Rules alum Ariana Madix returning as host for her second season.

Following the popularity of last season’s Love Island USA, which saw first-place couple Serena Page and Kordell Beckham split the $100,000 cash prize, season seven has continued its record-breaking viewership streak.

In a span of less than a week, Love Island USA season seven had 1.2 billion minutes streamed across just nine episodes available, Deadline reported.

Vanderpump Rules alum Ariana Madix returned as host for the seventh season of Love Island USA, which premiere on June 3

The finale of Love Island USA season seven airs on Sunday, July 13 on Peacock

After contestants Elan Bibas and Zak Srakaew were dumped from the villa following Sunday night’s recoupling, just six couples remain: Amaya Espinal and Bryan Arenales, Chelley Bissainthe and Ace Greene, Huda Mustafa and Chris Seeley, Iris Kendall and Pepe Garcia, Clarke Carraway and Taylor Williams, and Olandria Carthen and Nic Vansteenberghe.

The Love Island USA season seven finale is set to air on Sunday, July 13, streaming exclusively on Peacock in the US beginning 9 pm ET.

The Daily Mail has contacted Peacock and Ortega’s representatives for comment.