Cierra Ortega Exits Love Island After Resurfaced Racial Slur Posts

Tensions reached a boiling point on Love Island USA this week as contestant Cierra Ortega suddenly left the villa just days before the season finale. The show, which aired the announcement during Sunday’s episode, vaguely attributed her departure to a “personal situation.” But fans quickly connected the dots, pointing to a storm of backlash that had erupted online over Ortega’s resurfaced social media posts.

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The controversy centers on screenshots shared widely across platforms like TikTok, Threads, and X, showing Ortega using a racial slur in at least two past posts. One of the most circulated images came from a 2024 Instagram Story where Ortega, who is of Mexican and Puerto Rican descent, made a comment about getting Botox to “open up” her eyes—using a term many identified as an anti-Chinese slur.

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With no access to her phone while filming, Ortega hasn’t responded personally. But following her sudden departure, her parents addressed the issue on her Instagram story. They called for compassion while acknowledging the hurt the posts caused, saying, “We’re not here to justify or ignore what’s surfaced.” The statement emphasized that while accountability is important, the hate and threats aimed at Ortega and those around her had gone too far.

Ortega is now the second cast member this season to leave the show following controversy over racist language. Just weeks earlier, contestant Yulissa Escobar also exited abruptly after clips of her using a slur on a podcast began circulating. Escobar later apologized online, stating that while her intent wasn’t harmful, she understood the damage caused.

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Ortega entered the villa as a “bombshell” early in the season and quickly captured viewers’ attention. She became one of the most-followed contestants on social media and formed the season’s first exclusive relationship with fellow islander Nic Vansteenberghe. But in the days leading up to her exit, she began losing followers at a rapid rate, according to analytics site Social Blade, and conversations about her past behavior became more intense.

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The backlash has also impacted Ortega’s relationships off-screen. MJ Hedderman, a content creator who had been managing Ortega’s Instagram account during her time on the show, stepped down from the role, saying she had been unaware of the posts and does not condone any form of hate or racism. Former Love Island USA contestants Johnnie Olivia Garcia and Belle-A Walker also publicly distanced themselves from Ortega, with Garcia saying she could no longer support her after seeing the posts and Walker calling the producers’ decision “appreciated” as a proud Asian American woman.

Walker, who is half Filipina, added that she hoped the incident would help raise awareness about the real impact of anti-Asian hate. She encouraged fans to hold people accountable but to avoid participating in online bullying.

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Cierra Ortega Exits ‘Love Island USA’ After Backlash Over Resurfaced Racial Slur Posts  was originally published on rickeysmileymorningshow.com