Love Island USA‘s Nic Vansteenberghe is reacting to ex Cierra Ortega‘s public digs against him and Olandria Carthen.
“I was taking my time to process things,” Nic, 24, began on the Tuesday, August 19, episode of the “Baby, This Is Keke Palmer” podcast when asked about Cierra’s social media posts. “That video just was so off putting for me.”
Cierra, 25, raised eyebrows in July when she used a TikTok trend to throw shade, writing, “‘You look happier!’ Thanks, I booked a flight to Mykonos after surviving the villain edit on reality [TV] and I didn’t end up with the guy who never actually liked me and wanted my friend the entire time.”
After seeing the post, Nic didn’t understand the hostility. “Especially the way I spoke so positively about her and about our relationship before that,” he told Keke Palmer.“I never once bashed her. I never once told her that I wasn’t interested in her. I said we were exclusive [in the villa] — that’s a big thing for me.”
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Cierra entered the season 7 villa as a bombshell in a June episode of the hit Peacock series. She quickly formed a connection with Nic, which ended when she was removed from the villa in July due to a racist post from her Instagram account that resurfaced.
“I am not the victim in the situation,” Cierra said in a separate Instagram video shared in July. “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 claimed she didn’t know she was using a slur, saying, “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 continued: “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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With Cierra out of the villa, Nic chose to explore his connection with Olandria, 27, which viewers were rooting for all season.
“I cared about Cierra. Then through her leaving the villa and then exploring Olandria — which is what Love Island is about — I found this great and amazing connection,” Nic noted on Tuesday. “And then Cierra is bashing me for that. So to me, I was like, ‘I’m going to take that on the chin. That’s fine if you feel that way but I’m gonna keep moving on.’”
Nic acknowledged that his relationship status might have been “different” had Cierra not been removed. But he pointed out that things ended up the way they did and Nic is now focused on a future with Olandria.
“When you’re going through being in the villa for two months and then going into this new world of meetings from morning to night and you have a new relationship to focus on. Then you see a post like that, it just made me feel, like, uncomfortable,” he admitted. “I’m happy where I’m at and I don’t need to indulge in the online negativity.”
