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Daily Mirror
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- Daily Mirror
Cancel culture strikes again for Love Island contestants - but does it really work?
Being 'cancelled' has become a public ritual - but is it truly fair to punish people for their past mistakes? We explore cancel culture, public accountability and what it means to be 'forgotten' in digital form Being ' cancelled ' has almost become the norm for those in the public eye. From musicians and influencers to even politicians, very few manage to escape unscathed once old tweets and controversial comments resurface - leading to job losses or a decline in fans, no matter how long ago they were made or how much they claim to have grown since. In the past few weeks, Love Island contestants have found themselves in the firing line over derogatory and racist comments. First it was Yulissa Escobar, kicked off the US version of the show just two days after a video of her using the N‑word resurfaced online. Then fellow contestant came Cierra Ortega was removed from the show after an old picture surfaced showing her using a slur. Back in the UK, old tweets by contestant Helena Ford recently came to light, including one from over 10 years ago, which read: 'All I can hear are these f**king foreign dickheads.' Viewers have called for ITV to remove her, yet she remains in the villa. But it's not just about reality TV contestants. For many, cancel culture has become both a tool of accountability and a source of conflict - one that millions actively participate in online, even as they question whether it's gone too far. Is cancel culturejustifiable? Many believe cancel culture is a recent phenomenon, with some even dismissing it as a symptom of an overly 'sensitive' generation. But the idea of ostracizing someone for bad behaviour has been around for decades, going back as far as the 1990s. The phrase 'cancel culture,' however, gained mainstream traction in the mid‑2010s, particularly with the rise of the #MeToo movement in 2017, which brought a surge in public accountability for sexual harassment and assault. In a 2024 study published in Acta Psychological, researchers Cheselle Jan L. Roldan, Ardvic Kester S. Ong and Dhonn Q. Tomas explored how Gen Z engage with cancel culture. 'Cancel culture places a spotlight on issues, such as sexism, racism, and abuse, that may push or encourage people to become informed on the gravity and nuances of the issue itself,' they observed. But they also warned that 'cancel culture easily becomes a slippery slope towards cyberbullying, especially for teens, as the act may narrow down the path to empathy and forgiveness towards the errant individual or organisation.' Does cancel culture work? While cancel culture aims to hold people accountable for harm, it doesn't always achieve its intended outcome - particularly when individuals have wealth, powerful fan bases, or iconic brands behind them. Take J.K. Rowling, who faced backlash for her views on transgender people. Yet the Harry Potter franchise continues to generate significant revenue. Rowling is even working on the new TV adaption of the popular series. And sometimes, fans choose to separate the art from the artist entirely refusing to give up what someone's work means to them, regardless of their personal views. The internet does forget As much as we're told 'the internet never forgets,' that isn't entirely true. Under UK GDPR law, individuals actually have a right to be forgotten, also known as the right to erasure, this provision allows people to request the removal of their personal data under certain circumstances. Cancel culture will likely always spark debate. Every situation is different - but can we truly hold someone accountable for a mistake they made as a child? And how do we tell the difference between a mistake and someone's true character?
Yahoo
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Cierra Ortega's 'Love Island' apology, cancel culture and why Gen Z has a big problem
Gen Z has taken over the newest season of 'Love Island USA' − and it's causing some major problems. Cierra Ortega, a 25-year-old content creator, has left the villa due to 'personal' situation, days after past social media posts surfaced online that showed her using a racial slur. On July 9, she issued an apology for having used the "incredibly offensive and derogatory term." Ortega isn't the first Season 7 Islander to be removed from the villa following controversy. Another contestant, Yulissa Escobar was abruptly ousted from the villa on just the second day, after clips of her using a racial slur on a podcast resurfaced. She later apologized, saying at the time she didn't fully understand "the weight, history or pain behind it.' There's no excuse for using a racial slur — and it's important to recognize the hurt it inflicts among the affected communities. But two Islanders being ousted in one season begs the question: Are those 'digital footprints' teachers and parents warned of finally coming back to haunt Gen Z? How online sleuths impact reality TV The open secret of reality TV is that the producers control the narrative. Conversations are cut down, some couples are poised to be the favorites, while other contestants get pigeonholeed as the villain. However, as we dive deeper into surveillance culture in the digital age, producers are met with an inability to control that narrative online. When conflict arises, producers can't simply limit a contestant's screen time to get the world to stop talking about them. The drama takes on a life of its own outside the villa and on social media, leading to contestants being "canceled" even while the show is airing in real-time. On 'Love Island USA' Season 7, most of the contestants are between the ages of 21-27, making them the first group of Gen Z islanders who have fully grown up in the digital age. Their entire lives have been documented on X (at the time, Twitter), Instagram, Facebook, Snapchat and TikTok. In earlier seasons, producers and contestants never had to think about what could be dug up from a contestant's social media history. And if an incriminating video existed, there wasn't as big of a platform to share it on. Now, audiences are more connected than ever, and algorithmic feeds on apps like TikTok allow for widespread discourse on concentrated topics, continuously pouring gas on the flames of online drama. Because reality TV is meant to be authentic and unfiltered, 'it's much easier for people who watch it regularly to connect with these characters and start to invest in them,' explains media psychologist Pamela Rutledge. This can also lead viewers to form parasocial relationships with contestants, which according to Elizabeth Perse, a professor emeritus of communication at the University of Delaware, is the 'illusion of friendship" with a public persona. When reality stars act in a way that is offensive or seemingly out of character, audiences feel betrayed. Once contestants return home, the attention can be overwhelming, especially when it turns hostile. 'Even though contestants don't know the commenters on social media personally, the relentless and pointed attacks can feel very personal,' trauma and relationship therapist Jordan Pickell previously told USA TODAY. 'Human brains aren't equipped to distinguish between real-life risks to safety and online attacks.' In case you missed it: People can't stop talking about Huda on 'Love Island.' Will we ever learn our lesson? Ortega's departure sheds light on Asian hate Experts say referring to "cancel culture" as "accountability culture" could help hold people accountable for their wrongdoings — allowing room for growth while still enduring the consequences of their actions. Ortega appeared to use a slur, which refers to people of Asian descent, to describe her eyes in a 2015 Instagram caption. Another Instagram story using the slur circulated via an unverified screenshot, which appeared to be as recent as 2023, according to People. Many Asian Americans have taken this controversy as an opportunity to educate people about the history of the slur and why it is hurtful to Asian communities. 'Anytime you say these horrible things like Cierra did on her (Instagram story), it really does hurt,' one TikTok content creator said. 'Cierra from 'Love Island' got Botox to make her eyes look less like my eyes,' said another in a video with 8M views. 'Imagine being in a world where you're looking at media and you don't see people with your eye shape, and instead you're seeing people get surgery to alter your eye shape.' Belle-A Walker, a contestant who was dumped earlier this season, unfollowed Ortega on Instagram and commended 'Love Island USA' producers for "taking a stand.' '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 shared via an Instagram story on July 7. 'It is my hope that this situation can help shed light on how big of an issue anti-Asian hate really is.' Can cancel culture go too far? On July 7, fellow ousted contestant Escobar posted a TikTok expressing concern for Ortega's mental health. 'I'm not justifying what I did, I know what I did and what I said was wrong, and I know what Cierra said was wrong,' Escobar said. 'Looking at those messages I was getting, I was honestly scared to come home,' she continued. 'I was like, is something going to happen to me? Is someone going to do something to me? Because it was just a lot to take in, and even my family was worried.' In a statement posted by Ortega's family to her Instagram story on July 6, the family asked that people allow her to take accountability, saying that the 'attacks on her family, her friends, even her supporters' were 'heartbreaking' and 'uncalled for.' As to where the show can go from here? Maybe take viewers' advice and cast some 'regular people,' not influencers, on the show next season. Contributing: David Oliver, Taijuan Moorman This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Cierra 'Love Island' apology and reality TV's cancel culture problem Solve the daily Crossword
Yahoo
15-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
'Love Island' Cierra, in an 'empathy' sweater, apologizes for racial slur
Cierra Ortega has broken her silence after abruptly leaving the "Love Island USA" Season 7 villa. The University of Arizona alum and former Phoenix resident joined the reality dating show at the end of the June 3 premiere episode and left due to a "personal situation." No specific reason was cited, but the marketing professional was recently getting a lot of backlash due to resurfaced Instagram stories and posts containing racial slurs. The 25-year-old shared a nearly five-minute video on Instagram on Wednesday, July 9, in which she donned a black sweater with "empathy" written across the front in big white letters. She began by saying she knows a lot of people have been waiting for her to speak out about the news that's "come to light recently." She said she has been back in the U.S. for about 48 hours and is now able to speak about this "without being highly emotional because I'm not the victim in this situation." Ortega said this was "not an apology video" but rather an "accountability video." Here's what happened to Cierra on "Love Island" Episode 30, what happened to Cierra and Nic and more on Cierra's response. Cierra Ortega left the "Love Island USA" Season 7 villa during Episode 30. During "Love Island USA" Season 7 Episode 30, narrator Iain Stirling announced that "Cierra has left the villa due to a personal situation." Similar to former Islander Yulissa Escobar, Ortega may have been removed due to racial slurs she used against East Asian people. When describing her Botox on her social media, Ortega said she loved how it made her eyes look and used a derogatory racial slur aimed at Asian people. She used that same slur in a 2015 Instagram post of herself at the top of "A" Mountain in Tempe. Cierra used a word that originated in the 19th century as a racial slur against people of Chinese descent. It was intended to insult someone's appearance, particularly their eyes. It's now more broadly used against people of Asian descent. Nicolas "Nic" Vansteenberghe, a 24-year-old registered nurse and model from Jacksonville, Florida, was left single after Ortega left the show. Olandria Carthen then coupled up with Vansteenberghe during Episode 30. Hannah spills the 'Love Island USA' tea: She dishes on Charlie, Pepe and who should win Season 7 In the video, Ortega said she used an "incredibly offensive and derogatory term." "I want to first start by addressing not just anyone that I have hurt or deeply offended but most importantly, the entire Asian community," Ortega said. "I am deeply, truly, honestly so sorry. I had no idea that the word held as much pain, as much harm and came with the history that it did, or I never would have used it. "I had no ill intention when I was using it, but that's absolutely no excuse because intent doesn't excuse ignorance, it just doesn't, and I just need you to know that I am so sorry." Ortega said she didn't know the word was a slur until she shared an Instagram story in 2024 and a viewer reached out to correct her. The person told her what she said was incredibly hurtful, a derogatory term and a slur. She said she "immediately deleted the post" and educated herself on the true meaning and history of the word, along with informing anyone around her who was "accidentally holding space for this slur." She said the word was "immediately removed from my vocabulary" after she was corrected. Ortega shared screenshots of the interaction with a timestamp of Jan. 27, 2024, and denied any "narrative" that has been circulating of her doubling down once people tried to correct her. "In that moment, the lesson was learned, the word was removed and it was a true learning moment for me," Ortega said. She also did not push back on the "Love Island USA" producers' choice to send her home. "I completely agree with the network's decision to remove me from the villa," she said. "I think this is something that deserved punishment and the punishment has absolutely been received for sure." She said the backlash hard to deal with – although she understands where the hate is coming from. She said she's concerned about her family and loved ones. "They have had ICE called on them. My family doesn't feel safe in their own home. I'm receiving death threats," Ortega said. "There's no need to fight hate with hate. I don't think that that's justice." Ortega, who is of Mexican and Puerto Rican descent, said she will "move differently" in the future. She said she knows that no apology could undo the harm caused by her remarks and that her actions going forward will speak louder than an apology ever could. Ortega hopes people can use her mistake as a learning moment and asks people to allow her to "grow with grace." Reach the reporter at Follow @dina_kaur on X, formerly known as Twitter, and on Bluesky @ Subscribe to today. This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: 'Love Island USA's' Cierra Ortega apologizes for racial slur
Forbes
13-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Forbes
What Time Is The ‘Love Island USA' Season 7 Finale? Here's How To Watch
Ben Symons/Peacock via Getty Images After six dramatic weeks, Season 7 of Love Island USA is coming to a close. The long-awaited finale airs tonight and will see one couple crowned the winner and win $100,000. Keep scrolling for the exact time to tune in, how to watch and what to expect from the conclusion of the dating series. Season 7 kicked off in early June and has become one of the most controversial seasons in the show's history. Two Islanders — Yulissa Escobar and Cierra Oretga — were removed after past social media posts resurfaced showing both contestants using racial slurs. Yulissa issued a public apology shortly after her exit, while Cierra recently published an apology video on Instagram adressing her past comments and removal from the villa. The drama didn't let up in the Fiji, either. America split up Huda and Jeremiah by pairing him with Iris, and Jeremiah was eventually voted out by his friends, sparking backlash from fans over Ace's influence on the guys. Olandria and Nic were temporarily booted from Casa, only to shock everyone by coupling up and making a surprise return to the villa. (Now, #Niclandria is back in full swing following Cierra's exit.) Forbes Cierra Ortega Breaks Silence After 'Love Island USA' Exit For Using Racial Slur Online Apparently, becoming exclusive this season meant you received a one-way ticket back to the States. Taylor and Clarke were sent home shortly after becoming exclusive. Ace and Chelley were also dumped from the villa shortly after becoming closed off and spending a night in the Hideaway together. The four pairs who are headed to the finale are all relatively new couples, and there are two Casa Amor bombshells, Bryan and Chris. Nearly 40% of Love Island USA viewers this season are new to the series, according to Peacock, a sign of the show's growing fanbase in the U.S. However, the spike in viewership also led to an increase in cyberbullying against the show's contestants. Ahead of the finale, the show reminded viewers to show kindness. 'Love Island exists because of the real people who share their search for love with the world. Our host and all Islanders deserve respect and kindness for opening their hearts to the experience and to viewers everywhere,' a July 12 statement on the Love Island USA app read. 'As this season comes to a close, let's show then our love and support!" On July 11, the show instructed viewers to vote for the last time this season and choose the couple they wanted to see win Season 7. Now that the Islanders' time on the beach is almost up, here's exactly when the winners will be crowned. Forbes Why Did Cierra Ortega Leave 'Love Island USA'? Here's The Latest On The Controversy What Time Is The Love Island USA Season 7 Finale? Ben Symons/Peacock via Getty Images The Love Island USA Season 7 finale begins at 9 p.m. ET tonight, Sunday, July 13, on Peacock. Note: The streamer is known to drop episodes before 9 p.m., so keep an eye on the Love Island USA Season 7 page starting at around 8:30 p.m. ET. How To Watch The Love Island USA Season 7 Finale Ben Symons/Peacock via Getty Images The Season 7 finale of Love Island USA is available to stream on Peacock. To watch the finale and previous episodes, you'll need to sign up for a Peacock subscription. The Premium Monthly plan starts at $7.99 per month (or $79.99 annually), while Premium Plus (no ads) is $13.99 (or $139.99 annually). Unfortunately, Peacock is not offering a free trial at this time. Which Season 7 Couples Will Be In The Finale? Ben Symons/Peacock via Getty Images The most recent public vote sent Ace and Chelley packing, leaving four couples vying for the $100,000 prize. The remaining four couples in the villa are: Bryan and Amaya Nic and Olandria Chris and Huda Pepe and Iris How Much Money Do The Love Island Season 7 Winners Get? Ben Symons/Peacock via Getty Images MORE FOR YOU The winners of Love Island USA Season 7 will take home a $100,000 cash prize. After the winning couple is announced, they're each given an envelope — one containing the money, and the other empty. The person who receives the money then decides whether to split it with their partner or keep it for themselves. Last year, in Season 6, Kordell received the evelope with the cash decided to split the prize money with Serena. Season 5 winners Hannah and Marco also shared the $100,000 prize. Previous winners also decided to divide the cash. When Is The Love Island USA Season 7 Reunion? Ben Symons/Peacock via Getty Images Tonight's Love Island USA Season 7 finale won't be the last time you see your favorite Islanders. In fact, most of this season's cast will come together in a few weeks for the reunion special, including eliminated couples, main cast members, and bombshells. While Peacock has not yet set a date for the Season 7 reunion, we could get the announcement tonight during the finale. Last year, Ariana Madix shared the date for the Season 6 reunion during the finale. That reunion was scheduled for nearly a month later (the Season 6 finale was July 21, and the reunion was August 19). If we can expect a similar timeline for Season 7, the reunion will likely take place sometime in early August. Stay tuned for the Love Island USA Season 7 finale results and details about the reunion.
13-07-2025
- Entertainment
'Love Island USA' prepares to crown winning couple following tumultuous seventh season
LOS ANGELES -- LOS ANGELES (AP) — 'Love Island USA' will crown the winning couple of its seventh season Sunday evening, culminating a tumultuous summer full of explosive breakups and shock exits. The finale will air on Peacock at 6 p.m. Pacific/9 p.m. Eastern, following a chart-topping run since the season premiered on June 3. The show brings young singles together in a remote villa in Fiji to explore connections with the ultimate goal of finding love. The show, an American spinoff to the UK series, has shaken up reality TV, becoming Peacock's most watched entertainment series on mobile devices, according to NBC Universal. This season follows breakout success from last summer, which captured mainstream attention. 'Love Island: Beyond the Villa,' a new series spinoff premiering Sunday, follows Season 6's main cast as they navigate relationships, life and newfound social media fame in Los Angeles. This season has also been under fire as two contestants – Cierra Ortega and Yulissa Escobar – left the villa following resurfaced posts in which they used racial slurs. Ortega, who was half of one of the season's strongest couples, left the villa just a week before the popular reality show's finale after old posts resurfaced that contained a slur against Asian people. She apologized for the resurfaced posts in a nearly five minute TikTok video Wednesday. Friday's episode saw the elimination of Ace Greene and Chelley Bissainthe, setting the stage for the finale. Green and Bissainthe were the only couple to maintain a relationship throughout most of the show. With $100,000 up for grabs for the winning couple, here's a look at the season's run and the final four couples heading into the finale. Stripped of their phones and connection with the outside world, five men and five women arrive in the villa and coupled up based on initial romantic interest. Throughout the season, the show introduces a steady stream of bombshells, new contestants who are brought in to disrupt existing relationships and build new storylines. Under constant surveillance, contestants partook in kissing competitions, heart rate challenges and drama-inducing games ripe for viral moments. The final six couples even became instant parents, startled awake by cries as they were tasked with taking care of baby dolls to further test their romantic connections. Halfway through the season, established couples were temporarily separated for Casa Amor, the show's ultimate test, and encouraged to explore new relationships with a fresh group of single contestants. Contestants are routinely dumped from the villa, removed either by a public vote or by the islanders themselves. Amaya Espinal, 25, made waves when she walked in as a bombshell early in the season and has been credited for some of the season's most viral moments. 'I never said I was perfect. I never said I didn't have any flaws. But at least I'm pretty, and at least I'm a little funny, and at least I'm my own best friend,' Espinal sang to herself in the makeup room, which prompted various covers online and inspired a Google pop-up message when you search up her nickname, Amaya Papaya. The New York City native, who labeled herself a 'sensitive gangster,' tested various connections, including Greene, Austin Shepard and Casa Amor contestant Zak Srakaew, that all fizzled out. Her previous partners on the show said Espinal, who is Dominican, expressed affection too quickly. A connection sparked between Espinal and Bryan Arenales, 28, a Casa Amor contestant, late in the season after he defended her, saying that 'coming from a Hispanic household, calling someone babe, mi amor, mi vida, that's just how we talk.' Arenales is from Boston and is of Puerto Rican and Guatemalan descent, according to his Instagram page. 'I always stress that as I get older, it's important to be with someone that keeps you young. I definitely think Amaya is that type of person,' Arenales said during a confessional interview. Huda Mustafa, 24, and Chris Seeley, 27, explored different connections in Casa Amor before expressing interest in each other and eventually recoupling. Mustafa, from North Carolina, is the first contestant in the series to be a mother, which caused tension with her initial 'Love Island' partner, Jeremiah Brown. The two coupled up and developed a strong connection very quickly, causing the other contestants to doubt their relationship. Mustafa and Brown, 25, had a turbulent experience, leading to some of the most viral arguments of the season. The two eventually broke off their relationship and Brown was dumped from the villa halfway through the season. Mustafa explored other connections but remained single until Casa Amor, where she built a connection with Seeley, who was initially interested in Bissainthe. The two quickly developed an unexpected connection, bonding over Seeley's struggles with leaving his overseas basketball career and Huda's difficult experience with motherhood. 'I think me and her are actually really good for each other,' Seeley said during a confessional interview. 'She helps me kind of get out of my head and I help her, you know, be her true self and I calm her down in moments where she gets emotional or heated.' The two hit a snag during the show's baby challenge, where they argued over Mustafa's lack of public displays of affection. Iris Kendall, 25, and Jose 'Pepe' Garcia-Gonzalez, 27, came in as bombshells with fellow contestant Jalen Brown in the ninth episode and explored various connections before coming together in the show's last recoupling. Garcia-Gonzalez initially formed a strong connection with Hannah Fields, 23, which was cut short when a shocking dumping forced her to leave the villa and left him single. Kendall initially coupled up with Brown before he was dumped from the villa along with Fields. She developed a strong connection with TJ Palma, 23, who walked in as a bombshell in episode 15, and they became a couple. Garcia-Gonzalez coupled up with Gracyn Blackmore, 25, during Casa Amor. Each respective couple remained together until Blackmore and Palma left the villa following a mass dumping late in the season, leaving both Kendall and Garcia-Gonzalez single. The pair, who had developed a strong friendship, then coupled up and started a romantic relationship. 'With Iris, it just feels comfortable. I think it's that whole, you know, you're friends to start and then maybe it can become something else,' Garcia-Gonzalez said during a confessional interview. Olandria Carthen, 27, and Nic Vansteenberghe, 24, had an unconventional path to the finale. The pair had expressed initial interest in each other during the first episode, before settling into separate couples. Carthen, an Alabama native, was set on finding her 'cowboy,' coupling up with Taylor Williams, 24, from Oklahoma. The pair remained together for most of the season, though Williams sporadically mentioned he lacked a physical connection with Carthen. Vansteenberghe initially coupled up with Belle-A Walker, 22, before choosing to recouple with Ortega, who walked in as a bombshell at the end of the first episode. The pair remained together throughout the show until her abrupt departure from the villa a week ago. During Casa Amor, Carthen and Vansteenberghe didn't didn't find new connections and they were dumped from the villa. In a shocking twist, however, the contestants were offered a lifeline — they could return to the villa if they couple up with each other. The pair then briefly explored a romantic connection before ultimately deciding to remain friends. Carthen chose to return to Williams but was left single after he recoupled with Casa Amor contestant Clarke Carraway. Vansteenberghe and Ortega stayed together, but her departure days later ultimately left him single. Carthen and Vansteenberghe ultimately recoupled in the same episode. 'For our journey to be almost identical is mind-blowing to me. I can't wrap my head around this situation,' Carthen said during a recent confessional interview. 'Maybe it was Nic this whole time and we've just been so oblivious to it.'
