Love Island USA‘s Nic Vansteenberghe made a rare comment about Cierra Ortega after she was removed from the villa.
During the Monday, July 7, episode of the hit Peacock series, Nic spoke to Ace Greene about his future with Olandria Carthen after previously being closed off with Cierra.
“It is bittersweet. I was kind of really excited to feel closed off with somebody,” he admitted. “It took a lot for me to get to that point but it was just not meant to be.”
Nic and Cierra were one of the most established couples in season 7. One week before the Love Island USA finale, narrator Iain Stirling confirmed that Cierra “left the villa due to a personal situation” and noted that Nic was “officially single.”
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While speaking to the guys in the Sunday, July 6, episode, Nic said he was confused about what would happen next for him.
“I don’t really know. I think now that my strongest connection has gone, I will figure it out from here,” he explained. “I was not expecting this.”
In a confessional, Nic elaborated on this state of mind. “Right before Cierra had left, my mind was clear,” he noted. “I knew what the future would look like. And now I’m lost.”
Cierra’s exit came after a resurfaced post from her social media showed her using a racial slur. Following offscreen backlash, Cierra was removed from Fiji — similar to Yulissa Escobar, who was the first Islander removed from the villa earlier this season after clips of her using racial slurs on a podcast circulated online.
Before Cierra left the villa, her social media handler and friend MJ Hedderman took “a step back” amid the drama.
“Hi guys, I see your comments concerning someone I love and care about. I want to be clear that I do not condone racism, bigotry or hate in any way shape or form, nor was I aware of the recent screenshots until they were posted,” read MJ’s Instagram Story from Friday, July 4. “I discovered it at the same time as all of you did.”
MJ continued: “I cannot speak for anybody or make any statements besides my own, and decided to take a step back from running her account. I was asked by her family to turn off comments and refrain from speaking on her behalf. This situation has been really difficult, and I’m still processing everything.”
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Meanwhile Cierra’s other friend Johnnie Olivia released a similar statement about the controversy.
“I’m sure many of you have noticed that I’ve refrained from talking about Love Island and have stopped publicly supporting my friend on the show. This was after I saw a post involving a racial slur for the first time,” she wrote via Instagram on Friday. “I loved supporting her during her time on the show, but once I came across that post, I felt it was necessary to take a step back.”
Johnnie stated she was distancing herself from Cierra, adding, “I do not support or condone that kind of language, never have, never will. Racism in any form is unacceptable. And to be clear unless you are Asian, you do not get to decide whether or not that word is offensive. Anyone who isn’t Asian should not be speaking about the seriousness or impact of that word.”
New episodes of Love Island USA will be released six days a week — except for Wednesdays — on Peacock.
