Cierra Ortega was ousted from the idyllic confines of the "Love Island USA" villa amidst a storm of controversy stemming from a social media post where she employed a derogatory term aimed at the Asian community. During Season 7, Episode 30, which premiered on Peacock on Sunday, July 6th, narrator Iain Stirling made the solemn announcement roughly fifteen minutes into the episode.
"Welcome back to 'Love Island USA,'" Stirling's voice echoed, "Cierra has left the villa due to a personal situation, rendering Nic [Vansteenberghe] officially single."
In recent days, an old social media post by the aspiring social media influencer had resurfaced, in which Cierra showcased her cosmetic enhancements and referenced her eyes using an offensive racial slur aimed at Asian people. Viewers took to social media in droves, vociferously demanding her removal from the show, and Sunday's episode addressed her departure after she had been extensively edited out prior to the announcement.
The segment that followed Stirling's declaration depicted a heartbroken Nic grappling with the news of his love connection's abrupt exit from the Peacock dating series. "Right before Cierra had left, my mind was clear," Nic confided. "I knew what the future would look like, and now I’m lost. I think now that my strongest connection is gone, I have to—just figure it out from here." When pressed if he intended to seek out another romantic connection within the villa, Nic replied, "I don’t know."
Cierra marks the second Islander from "Love Island USA" Season 7 to be removed from the villa following the resurfacing of past social media posts containing racial slurs. Earlier in the season, Islander Yulissa Escobar exited the series after the second episode when a past podcast appearance emerged, in which she repeatedly used the n-word. Yulissa issued an apology upon her departure but has since taken to social media to downplay the gravity of her actions.
