Love Island USA’s Cierra Ortega is finally breaking her silence after leaving the villa amid a racism scandal.
“Now that I’ve been back in the U.S. for about 48 hours and I’ve had the chance to process, I now feel like I’m at a space where I can speak about this without being highly emotional because I am not the victim in the situation,” Cierra said in an Instagram video shared on Wednesday, July 9. “While I was in the villa, there were some posts that resurfaced from my past where I was very naively using 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. I am deeply, truly, honestly, so sorry.”
Cierra admitted she didn’t know she was using a slur at the time.
“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,” she noted. “ I just need you to know that I am so sorry — but this is not an apology video. This is an accountability video. I do want to hold my hands up and say that I take accountability for using the word, but I do want it to be known that I genuinely had no idea that it was a slur. I had no idea of its meaning.”
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While addressing the resurfaced post from 2024, Cierra recalled getting a message from a follower who called her comment “incredibly hurtful.”
“At that moment, I was embarrassed. I — of course — immediately deleted the post. I was apologetic and I educated not only myself on the true meaning and the history of the word but also anyone around me who was accidentally a holding space for this slur,” she explained. “I made the correction immediately. The work was immediately removed from my vocabulary.”
Cierra clarified that other recent screengrabs of alleged conversations where she refused to remove the word from her vocabulary were not true.
“The truth is that in that moment, the lesson was learned, the word was removed and it was a true learning moment for me. Since that moment, I’ve done so much growing as an individual and I’ve tried my best to educate others who might be accidentally holding space for these types of words that could be offensive in their vocabulary,” she continued. “I completely agree with the network’s decision to remove me from the villa. I think that this is something that deserved punishment and the punishment has absolutely been received for sure.”
After leaving the villa, Cierra has found the online backlash “very hard to deal with,” adding, “I can do my best to drown out the noise and pay attention to the truth. But what’s been extremely, extremely difficult is the way people are approaching my family and my loved ones. They have had ICE called on them. My family doesn’t feel safe in their own home. I’m receiving death threats and there’s no need to fight hate with hate. I don’t think that that’s justice. If you want to know that you are heard and that I’m sorry and that I will move differently, I promise you that’s what will happen.”
Cierra promised to take the necessary steps to grow from the experience.
“I know that no apology could ever be enough for the harm that I’ve caused and the offense that’s taken place. I know that moving forward my actions and how I decide to live my life from here on out is going to speak louder than any apology ever could,” she said. “But I do need it to be known that I am sorry and I did mean no harm. Hopefully there are people out there that can use my mistake as a learning moment and to just be better because that’s what I’m gonna do. I’m gonna take today and tomorrow and I’m gonna take strides to be better.”
She concluded: “All I can ask for is even if you won’t give me forgiveness, if you can just allow me to grow with grace. Instead of sitting here and trying to convince you that I am this amazing person who spreads light in the world and celebrates culture and dynamics and backgrounds, one day you will see that from me. I’m deeply sorry again.”
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During the July 6 episode of the Peacock series, narrator Iain Stirling confirmed that Cierra “left the villa due to a personal situation,” which meant her then-partner, Nic Vansteenberghe, was “officially single.”
Cierra’s exit came after a racist post from her social media resurfaced while she was filming in Fiji. Islanders are sequestered while on Love Island USA, and in order to keep them focused on finding a match, they have no contact with the outside world until they officially leave. That is when they retrieve their phones and catch up on how the public reacted to their time on the show.
Before Cierra was officially out of the villa, her social media handler and friend MJ Hedderman announced she was taking “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 July Instagram Story. “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.”
Cierra elaborated on the controversy in a separate statement added to her Instagram Stories.
Cierra’s parents also addressed the backlash before she got her phone back.
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“I do not, and have never, condoned racism or the repression of any cultural group in any form. I would never intentionally use any word, especially a slur, to tear down anyone’s culture or community. When I used that word, I didn’t fully understand what it meant or how much pain it carries,” she wrote on Wednesday. “I know an apology means nothing without real accountability and change, and that’s what l’ve done my best to live up to since then and what I will continue to do.”
Cierra noted she had “no ill intention,” adding, “I fully understand that impact matters more than intent. I don’t expect forgiveness overnight. I just hope that in time I can show that l’m more than a mistake, a label, or a character on a highly edited reality show. I’m someone trying to spread love and light, even when I get it wrong, and I hope my actions from here speak louder than this mistake ever did.”
She continued: “My experience in the villa was nothing short of magical. The memories I made and the people I met are ones I’ll cherish forever. While I’m heartbroken my journey had to be cut short, I understand that mistakes, especially ones like this, deserve consequences. Once again, to the Asian community, I am deeply sorry for my thoughtless mistake and the harm it caused.”
New episodes of Love Island USA will be released six days a week — except for Wednesdays — on Peacock. The season 7 finale is set to air Sunday, July 13.
