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If you’re a Love Island tragic who hasn’t yet dipped a toe into the U.S. spin-off, but suddenly finds yourself deep in the backstory of Cierra Ortega’s dumping, here’s everything you need to know.
Ortega had quickly become a frontrunner on Love Island USA and was one half of a fan-favourite couple with Nic Vansteenberghe. The pair had their picture-perfect post–Casa Amor reunion and had even agreed to become exclusive—usually a strong sign they were headed for the finale. But just one week before the season’s end, Ortega was abruptly removed from the villa during the July 6 episode.
At the time, the show’s narrator Iain Stirling vaguely referred to her exit as being due to “a personal situation,” but fans were quick to start speculating.
Related: Where To Watch The Love Island UK Drama Unfold In Australia
Soon after, two resurfaced social media posts began circulating online, appearing to show Ortega using a racial slur. The controversy gained traction fast and ultimately led to her being kicked off the show. Naturally, fans are now asking why these posts weren’t discovered earlier — and whether reality TV producers are doing enough when it comes to contestant vetting.
Cierra is the second contestant to be dumped from Love Island USA this season. In the first days of the season, fans discovered that Yulissa Escobar, a day-one contestant, had used a racial slur on a podcast and she was removed from the show without comment. A third contestant, Austin Shepard has also received backlash online for being a supporter of Donald Trump, referring to Oakland, California as a “third world country” and posting transphobic comments, according to Vulture. Alarmingly, Austin was not removed from the show.
This isn’t an issue that’s exclusive to Love Island USA, either, with seemingly every reality show facing a version of this every season. Which begs the question, why can’t the casting teams working on these huge budget reality dating shows do the simple Googles that fans are able to?
Below, we break down exactly what happened to Cierra Ortega, why she was removed from Love Island USA, and how the internet is reacting.
Who Is Cierra Ortega
Cierra Ortega is a 25-year-old Los Angeles native, who grew up in Arizona. She entered the Love Island villa on the first day of this season as a bombshell and quickly became a core member of this season’s cast. Cierra spent most of the season coupled up with Nic, before exiting the show due to an apparent “personal situation”.
Why Did Cierra Ortega Leave Love Island?
Cierra’s exit from the show wasn’t given very much air time, which naturally led fans to go digging following her departure. On July 1, screenshots started circulating online that showed Cierra had used a racial slur twice on her Instagram page, once on stories in 2023 and similarly in a post in 2015, when she was 15 years old. Following the screenshots circulation, a petition was started to have her removed from the show which quickly garnered 17,000 signatures.
The show’s host, Ariana Madix also reportedly took to TikTok to respond to comments and let viewers know that she wasn’t being quiet about the issue behind the scenes. Almost a week after the screenshots surfaced, Cierra was removed from the show with narrator Iain Stirling citing “a personal situation” as the reason.
When CNN approached Peacock (the streaming service that airs Love Island in America) for a comment, a representative said, “We won’t be providing a comment”. Prior to Ortega’s posts resurfacing online, her follower count was nearing 1 million, but she has lost more than 200,000 followers in the past few days alone. Comments have also been limited on her page.
Has Cierra Ortega Responded To The Racism Allegations Levelled Against Her?
Cierra may have left the villa, but by all accounts, she hasn’t reentered the real world yet. We imagine she is undergoing some briefing and getting support to manage her response to the media coverage following her exit. But though she hasn’t yet spoken out, her parents have released a statement via her Instagram account.
“”As Cierra’s parents, this has been one of the most painful weeks of our lives… We’ve seen the posts, the headlines, the hurt and the hate. And while Cierra hasn’t seen any of it yet, we have. And so have the people who love her,” the statemen read. “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 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 also confirmed that as of Sunday night, Cierra has not “had a chance to process” what had happened.
Have Cierra’s Friends And Fellow Contestants Commented?
According to AP News, former contestant Belle-A released a statement to her Instagram following Cierra’s exit from the show. Walker, who is Asian American, said she was “deeply appreciative” to the producers for “taking a stand and making it clear that racism of any kind is not tolerated”.
“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,” Walker wrote in an Instagram story. “It is my hope that this situation can help shed light on how big of an issue anti-Asian hate really is.”
A statement was also released by MJ Hedderman, who was running Cierra’s Instagram account while she was on the show. “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. I discovered it at the same time as all of you did,” she shared on Instagram. “I cannot speak for anybody or make any statements besides my own, and decided to take a step back from running her account. I was asked by her family to turn off comments and refrain from speaking on her behalf.”
Cierra has not yet released a statement.
The post A Quick Explainer On Why Cierra Ortega Was Dumped From Love Island USA appeared first on ELLE.
