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Former Love Island USA contestant apologises for using slur in post

Christal Hayes
BBC News, Los Angeles
Getty Images Cierra Ortega sips from her Love Island tumbler cup in the Love Island villa. She has on a black dress. Getty Images

Love Island USA's Cierra Ortega has apologised for old social media posts including a derogatory term for Asian people, following her sudden removal from the hit TV show.

In a video message, the 25-year-old content creator from Los Angeles said the post in question that led to her departure was made in 2024 and that a follower messaged her to explain that it was a slur.

"In that moment, I was embarrassed," she said, adding that she "immediately deleted the post".

Ortega, who is of Mexican and Puerto Rican heritage, said she and her loved ones have been harassed online over the posts, including by people calling immigration authorities on members of her family and issuing death threats.

"What's been extremely, extremely difficult is the way people are approaching my family and my loved ones," she said. "They have had ICE [US Immigration and Customs Enforcement] called on them. My family doesn't feel safe in their own home. I'm receiving death threats.

"There's no need to fight hate with hate. I don't think that that's justice."

Ortega said she was in agreement with the network's decision to remove her from the show and said she understands why viewers were upset.

But she took issue with social media posts claiming that she did not delete the derogatory post or doubled down on using it.

"I was apologetic and I educated, not only myself on the true meaning and history of the word, but also anyone around me.

"I think the backlash has obviously been very hard to deal with."

Ortega's departure from the show, a spinoff of the popular UK reality series, follows that of fellow islander Yulissa Escobar, who left after videos of her using a racial slur on a podcast in 2021 re-emerged.

Ms Escobar later apologised, saying on Instagram she used the offensive term "ignorantly, not fully understanding the weight, history, or pain behind it".

She followed up her apology with a second post, saying she had received death threats and that she "came back to a warzone" after leaving the villa.

This season of Love Island USA has been wildly popular and Peacock, NBC's streaming app that airs the show, said the series was ranking as the most streamed reality series.

But its skyrocketing success has led to contestants being relentlessly cyberbullied on social media, so much so that the show aired a statement during a recent episode with a plea for viewers to halt the harassment.