Huda Mustafa is taking responsibility with a heartfelt apology. Following an incident where she laughed at a racial slur aimed at fellow season seven contestant Olandria Carthen during her boyfriend Louis Russell's October 27th livestream, Huda issued a heartfelt apology for her actions.
"I want to begin by saying I completely respect Olandria and it's extremely disheartening that anyone, especially a presumed child, would find it excusable to use this type of language," Huda wrote in her October 29th Instagram Stories. "It only underscores the ignorance of the gravity that such a word carries."
Huda then shared an apology directed at Olandria, who came in second place on the dating competition with Nic Vansteenberghe. "I apologize for my immediate reaction," she shared. "My reaction in that moment came from being caught off guard, not from finding the word or situation funny. It was a nervous, uncomfortable reaction that I recognize was inappropriate."
She continued, "I want to be clear that I do not condone or tolerate anyone who uses such language, and I strongly encourage the individual responsible to reflect deeply on their words and the harm they've caused."
The 25-year-old, who placed third on Love Island with ex Chris Seeley, concluded her statement with a pledge to make a "personal donation to the NAACP and encourage anyone who feels moved to do the same." (Olandria urged her and Louis to donate that same day in her Instagram Stories.)
Louis, 24, who debuted his romance with Huda in August, also shared his own apology following the incident. "I'd like to extend my sincerest apology to all those affected by the caller who used language that completely goes against everything we stand for," he wrote on his Instagram Stories October 29th. "As a Black man, I have a greater empathy through my own lived experiences battling racism and the idea that a flustered response to a very unnerving situation could be misinterpreted for me not taking the matter seriously is incredibly disheartening."
He added, "This was an extremely unfortunate situation, one that in no way reflects my values, not Huda's."
For Olandria's part, she condemned racism, adding that she never entertains it. "That kind of language is never acceptable," she began in her Instagram Stories. "Not in anger, not as a joke, not ever. Words like that carry generations of pain, and pretending otherwise only keeps the cycle going. Defending it, laughing about it, or making excuses is even worse."
"I will not let this moment derail my purpose of uplifting my community," she continued. "I'm standing firm in who I am and using this as an opportunity to call for real accountability and awareness. We all have a role in building a culture where speaking against hate speech is the bare minimum."
The 27-year-old went on to ask those who "participated in the stream and their followers" to donate to organizations dedicated to uplifting the Black community. "While I anticipate this will result in surface-level apologies that fade in a few days," she wrote before suggesting some foundations to donate to, "I'd like to transform this moment into something actionable."
