Cierra Ortega‘s friends broke their silence regarding her resurfaced racist post just days before she left Love Island USA.
During the Sunday, July 6, episode of the Peacock series, narrator Iain Stirling revealed that Cierra “left the villa due to a personal situation,” leaving partner Nic Vansteenberghe “officially single.” This came as a surprise to some viewers but the scandal was brewing for days leading up to Cierra’s departure.
Eagle-eyed social media users caught wind of Cierra’s past post, which included an offensive slur, as season 7 was filming. As a result, 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.”
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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.”
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 made it clear 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.”
Multiple cast members from this season faced backlash for resurfaced posts after entering the villa. Islanders are sequestered while filming 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.
Yulissa Escobar was the first Islander removed from the villa earlier this season. Her departure came after clips of Yulissa using racial slurs on a podcast circulated online.
“I had gotten called to the front and then I met one of the producers and they asked me to take my mic off,” she explained in a July TikTok. “I figured something serious was kind of happening. I honestly got scared. I thought something happened with a family member. They didn’t really tell me anything. They just said that a video resurfaced on the internet and it’s not looking too good. I didn’t really know what video or what I was saying or what I did.”
She continued: “I didn’t get my phone back for another two days. They were waiting for the two episodes that I was in to air. I was literally in my hotel room losing my mind because I didn’t know what was going on. I just knew that there was a video out there. I get it. I said a word that I should have not said. But I wish I would have never said that. It is what it is. I can’t go back in time. I am sorry that I said that word.”
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Austin Shepard was the other cast member who apologized for his online posts.
“I want to take a moment to address my recent repost that has caused offense to some of you,” he wrote via his Instagram Stories on Saturday, July 5. “As you all know, I have a very dry sense of humor, and I genuinely didn’t think before sharing that content.”
Austin added, “It was never my intention to hurt or upset anyone. I value and respect all individuals and their perspectives.”
Fellow season 7 contestant Jeremiah Brown recently revealed how the Islanders who are still filming usually learn about someone’s surprise exit.
“They personally never told me anything. They never told us in the villa,” he said during the “Speedy Morman” show on Monday, June 30, about Yulissa being gone. “They said she left for personal reasons — I can say that. I found out later after getting my phone back that it was because of whatever happened.”
New episodes of Love Island USA will be released six days a week — except for Wednesdays — on Peacock.
