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Cierra Ortega left the “Love Island USA” villa amid backlash from viewers who resurfaced old social media posts from the reality star that contained a racial slur.
The show, an American spin-off of a U.K. offering, announced during Sunday’s episode that Ortega is exiting “due to a personal situation,” but did not elaborate. Her departure comes just one week before the hit reality show’s finale is set to air on Peacock. (NBCUniversal is the parent company of Peacock and NBC News.)
A spokesperson for the show declined to comment.
Ortega is the second contestant to leave the show this season after facing controversy for past language. Yulissa Escobar abruptly exited last month after video clips surfaced online that appear to show her using a racist slur while on a podcast.
Over the past week, Ortega, who is of Mexican and Puerto Rican heritage, lost hundreds of thousands of followers on Instagram, according to social media analytics website Social Blade, as discourse about the contestant’s alleged use of an anti-Chinese slur gained viral traction.
Screenshots that have been shared online across TikTok, X and Instagram’s Threads suggest Ortega used the slur in at least two social media posts. One of the screenshots is from a 2024 Instagram story, a type of post that expires after 24 hours, in which Ortega used the word to describe why she was getting Botox to “open up” her eyes.
Ortega has not yet publicly weighed in on the backlash, as contestants do not have access to their phones while on the show. However, after Sunday’s episode aired, Ortega’s parents posted a statement on her Instagram story asking for “compassion” and “basic human decency.” (Contestants’ social accounts are typically run by friends or family while they are secluded in the villa.)
The show, which has seen a surge in new viewers this year, follows a group of singles over the course of six weeks as they race to couple up and form romantic connections, or risk getting dumped from the island. But the spike in popularity has also led to intensified harassment toward contestants online.
“We’re not here to justify or ignore what’s surfaced. We understand why people are upset, and we know accountability matters. But what’s happening online right now has gone far beyond that,” the statement from Ortega’s account read. “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.”
Ortega, who entered as a “bombshell” (what the show calls newer contestants) early in the season, quickly became a fan favorite and one of the season’s most highly followed contestants on social media. In recent weeks, however, many of her fans turned against her as they began criticizing her behavior on the show alongside her alleged use of the slur.
Ortega and fellow contestant Nic Vansteenberghe were the first couple to “close off,” or become exclusive, in the villa — a significant milestone on a show that encourages couples to explore multiple connections. Her departure left Vansteenberghe single until the next recoupling.
As the screenshots of Ortega’s past posts drew heated debate among viewers online, many called on Peacock to remove her from the show, especially since Escobar was also booted. Shortly after her exit, Escobar issued an apology statement acknowledging her use of a racial slur, saying she “wasn’t trying to be offensive or harmful, but I recognize now that intention doesn’t excuse impact.”
Ortega’s parents said their daughter had not yet seen the online reactions, nor has she had the chance to process what happened or issue a response.
“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 wrote. “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.”
On Friday, Ortega’s friends also appeared to publicly distance themselves from her resurfaced comments.
Content creator MJ Hedderman, who had been running Ortega’s Instagram account during her time on the show, wrote on her personal Instagram story that she has decided to “take a step back from running her account,” and that she was asked by Ortega’s family to refrain from speaking on her behalf.
“Hi guys, I see your comments concerning someone I love and care about,” Hedderman wrote. “I want to be clear that I do not condone racism, bigotry or hate in any way shape or form, nor was I aware of the recent screenshots until they were posted.”
Johnnie Olivia Garcia, a former contestant on a past season of “Love Island USA,” similarly wrote on her Instagram story that she stopped publicly expressing support for her friend after she saw the posts being circulated.
“I loved supporting her during her time on the show, but once I came across that post, I felt it was necessary to take a step back,” Garcia wrote. “I do not support or condone that kind of language never have, never will.”
Former season seven contestant Belle-A Walker, who was dumped from the island when her villa partner Vansteenberghe recoupled with Ortega, released a statement to her Instagram story after Sunday’s episode expressing appreciation for the producers’ decision as a “proud Asian American woman.”
“When I first saw what my fellow Islander said on their social media pages, I was incredibly heartbroken,” Walker wrote, without naming Ortega. “But I wanted to wait until they left the villa and were able to address the situation, genuinely apologize, and commit to learning from the experience before deciding how our relationship would look moving forward.”
Walker, who is half Filipina, said she doesn’t condone bigotry or racism. However, she urged fans to “think twice before leaving unkind comments to or about this person.”
“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.”
