Just days after Cierra Ortega’s abrupt exit from “Love Island USA” due to her offensive social media posts, recently booted Zak Srakaew wasted no time taking to social media to reveal what cast members were told when she was removed from the villa.
“When Cierra left, they gathered us all together—the producers,” Srakaew shared during a TikTok livestream. “They said, ‘Unfortunately, Cierra has broken some of the policies of our guidelines. She’ll no longer be here in the villa. And that’s all the information we can give you guys.’”
Ortega’s exit was announced during the July 6 episode, citing a “personal situation” as the reason for her departure, which reports have attributed to a racial slur she used in a social media post.
Srakaew shared with fans that the islanders “didn’t really know what was going on” but producers encouraged them to reach out if “they needed somebody to speak to.”
The 29-year-old also answered fans’ questions about how Ortega’s partner, Nic Vansteenberghe, felt when he found out she had gone.
“Nic was really upset that she left. But, at the same time, he couldn’t really be super upset, or he couldn’t really express how he feels about the situation until he found out what she did or what she said.”
Srakaew continued: “Because at the end of the day, as much as, like, you want to feel sorry for somebody, if you’re removed from the show for saying something offensive, you can’t really feel sorry for them until you know what it is.”
The decision to dismiss Ortega came after several old social media posts resurfaced, at least one of which includes a racial slur aimed at Chinese people.
While sharing details about her use of Botox, Ortega wrote, “I can also be a little chinky when I laugh/smile so I love getting a mini brow lift to open up my eyes and get that snatched look.”
Though Ortega hasn’t publicly spoken out since leaving the Peacock series, her parents posted a statement to her Instagram page asking fans for “compassion” and “human decency” adding that she “will take responsibility in her own time and her own voice.”
“Love Island USA” season 7 airs every night, except Wednesdays, on Peacock.
