“Love Island USA” star Cierra Ortega made an abrupt exit from the Peacock reality series after posts of her using a racial slur aimed at East Asian people resurfaced online.
One week before the season finale, the streamer made the announcement that the 25-year-old is leaving the villa, citing a “personal situation,” which leaves contestant Nic Vansteenberghe single.
Shortly after, previously shared posts from Ortega resurfaced on social media where she repeatedly uses the slur dating as recent as 2023.
In one post, while sharing details about her use of Botox, Ortega writes, “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.”
Ortega hasn’t had access to social media during filming of the show, but her parents posted a statement to her Instagram page describing “one of the most painful weeks of our lives.”
“We’re not here to justify or ignore what’s surfaced,” they shared on their daughter’s Instagram page. “We understand why people are upset, and we know accountability matters. But what’s happening online right now has gone far beyond that.”
“The threats. The cruel messages. The attacks on her family, her friends, even her supporters, it’s heartbreaking,” the statement continued. “It’s uncalled for. And no one deserves that kind of hate, no matter what mistake they’ve made.“
In terms of when Ortega will address the public herself, the family says she “will take responsibility in her own time and her own voice” and asks fans for “compassion” and “human decency.”
Amid the scandal, Ortega has reportedly lost 200,000 followers on her socials and 17,000 people signed a petition to get her removed from the show.
And this isn’t the first contestant to exit the show this season due to the use of racial slurs. During episode 2, Yulissa Escobar made her exit after using the “N” word on two podcast appearances.
Escobar released a statement apologizing on Instagram, saying she used the word “ignorantly.”
“In those clips, I used a word I never should’ve used, a racial slur. I used it ignorantly, not fully understanding the weight, history or pain behind it,” she wrote in the Instagram caption.
“I wasn’t trying to be offensive or harmful, but I recognize now that intention doesn’t excuse impact. And the impact of that word is real. It’s tied to generations of trauma, and it is not mine to use.”
“Love Island USA” season 7 airs daily, except Wednesdays on Peacock.
