Overview
- On July 10, Cierra Ortega posted a four-minute video apologizing for her past use of an anti-Asian slur and accepting her removal from Love Island USA.
- Ortega acknowledged she was ignorant of the slur’s harm, agreed Peacock’s decision to remove her was appropriate and described receiving death threats and ICE threats against her family.
- Her parents had earlier released a statement pleading for basic human decency after a petition with over 17,300 signatures and a loss of more than 180,000 Instagram followers fuelled online backlash.
- Producers held crisis meetings and informed the cast that Ortega and Yulissa Escobar had violated show policies when their racist remarks resurfaced, marking the first dual ejections for such behavior.
- With the July 13 finale approaching, the controversies have intensified calls for more transparent background checks, clearer conduct guidelines and enhanced contestant support.