Love Island USA star breaks silence on Cierra Ortega's shock exit following racist slur scandal
Jeremiah Brown - who was one of the most loved stars of the reality show before he was voted off by his fellow castmembers - has addressed the offscreen racism controversy.
On Sunday night's episode which streamed on Peacock, narrator Iain Stirling confirmed that Ortega 'left the villa due to a personal situation' and had left Nic Vansteenberghe 'officially single.'
A following scene showed him talking to Ace Green and saying he wasn't sure what he would do next — which comes just one week before the season is set to conclude.
While she was filming in Fiji, sequestered from social media, multiple racist posts from her Instagram was uncovered by Love Island fans, in which she used a slur offensive to Chinese people on two separate occasions.
On Monday Jeremiah was asked about his thoughts on the scandal during a TikTok Live.
He said: 'I don't condone no type of racial slurs. That racial stuff is weird to me.
'I have been dealing with that my whole life. Racial stuff is never cool.'
This came after Ortega's parents broke their silence after their daughter was removed from season seven for past derogatory social media posts.
On Sunday, the 25-year-old reality star's parents shared a statement via Instastory on her account about 'the most painful weeks of our lives.'
Cierra's parents wrote: 'We've seen the posts, the headlines, the hurt and the hate. And while Cierra hasn't seen any of it, we have. And so have people who love her,' the statement began.
'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 continued: 'While Cierra is not in the villa anymore, she is still away. She hasn't had the chance to process any of this or speak for herself. But we know our daughter. We know her heart. And when she returns, we believe she'll face this with honesty, growth, and grace. While she'll always be our little girl, she's also a woman, one who will take responsibility in her own time and her own voice.
'Until then, we're simply asking for compassion. For patience. For basic human decency. Not just for her, but for everyone caught in the middle of this. Thank you to those who've continued to show love, even when it's not easy. With love, her family.'
This season of Love Island USA has been mired in controversy as another cast member sparked backlash for past racial slurs and was booted off of the show and was also fired when fans uncovered an offscreen racism scandal.
Weeks ago, Yulissa Escobar departed from season seven after being introduced as an OG islander — and after the axed islander hit back at online trolls and cancel culture.
By the beginning of the second episode, she was gone with Iain Stirling simply saying in the introduction that she had 'left the villa.'
The 27-year-old real estate professional from Miami had been booted in just the third day after videos surfaced of her using the N-word in a podcast.
After the swift removal of Escobar, many fans had been anticipating the same will happen with Ortega, a 25-year-old content creator from Phoenix, who arrived on Day 2.
Past Instagram posts have surfaced of her using a racial slur towards Chinese people in two separate instances many years apart.
One post from January 2015 showed a snap of her at the top of a mountain, using a version of the slur to describe how she smiles.
There was also an Instagram story post from February 2023, showing her getting Botox treatments, again using the slur to describe her smile, and many fans are furious, calling for her immediate removal.
One post from January 2015 showed a snap of her at the top of a mountain, using a version of the slur to describe how she smiles.
While it remains to be seen if the show's producers will remove her like they removed Escobar, Ortega has already taken a bit hit in regards to her Instagram followers.
She had lost over 200K followers since the posts had resurfaced
Ortega was poised to potentially cross the 1 million follower mark at some point during Love Island Season 7, but her follower tally now stands at 695K.
Many at the time had called for her to be kicked off the island.
Cass Rabbit (@cassrabbit) tagged both @LoveIslandUSA and @Peacock in her tweet, which read, 'Get Cierra Ortega off your show. This is now the third time I'm seeing she used the slur for asians. Y'all rightfully kicked off Yulissa for saying the n word, what about Cierra? Or does racism against asians not matter to you guys?'
Another X user - @h0td1lfj0hnny - asked, 'Why has cierra not been dropped from the villa,,,, she's f***ing racist using slurs.
X user @SSTARZZNE added, 'cierra better be at the BOTTOM of that vote after her racist a** got exposed #LoveIslandUSA.'
Mai (@mainpopvirgo) said, 'yulissa said a racial slur (the literal nword) and was kicked out of the show (as she should) bc of the rightful outrage how is this different to cierra saying another racial slur she cannot claim'
One fan - @deannacortes - shared the petition link on X, adding, 'Send Cierra Ortega home,' with the hashtags #racist #LoveIslandUSA #stopasianhate.
Another X user - @ShaneAnime1990 - insisted, 'Cierra Ortega used a racist word now we have to cancel her if she did it once she'll do it again.'
Cass Rabbit (@cassrabbit) tagged both @LoveIslandUSA and @Peacock in her tweet, which read, 'Get Cierra Ortega off your show. This is now the third time I'm seeing she used the slur for asians. Y'all rightfully kicked off Yulissa for saying the n word, what about Cierra? Or does racism against asians not matter to you guys?'
Another X user - @h0td1lfj0hnny - asked, 'Why has cierra not been dropped from the villa,,,, she's f***ing racist using slurs.
The user added, 'Yall got yulissa up out of there quick but not cierra ??? @loveislandusa #loveislandusa Cierra not been dropped from the villa...she's f---ing racist using slurs.'
X user @SSTARZZNE added, 'cierra better be at the BOTTOM of that vote after her racist a** got exposed #LoveIslandUSA.'
Mai (@mainpopvirgo) said, 'yulissa said a racial slur (the literal nword) and was kicked out of the show (as she should) bc of the rightful outrage how is this different to cierra saying another racial slur she cannot claim.'
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