Cierra Ortega Removed From Love Island USA After Backlash Over Racist Slur

Love Island USA contestant Cierra Ortega has officially exited the show. Her removal follows the emergence of old social media posts where the Mexican-Puerto Rican content creator used ethnic slurs. The social media uploads sparked fan backlash, with viewers demanding Cierra’s withdrawal from Love Island Season 7.

Cierra Ortega leaves Love Island  

Cierra Ortega was visibly absent from the July 6 episode of Peacock’s Love Island USA. During the show’s introduction, narrator Iain Stirling shared, “Cierra has left the villa due to a personal situation, leaving Nic [contestant Nicolas Vansteenbergh] officially single.”

The previous week, past Instagram posts and stories of Ortega, where she used a derogatory term for the Asian community, reemerged. In both posts, Ortega referenced her own eyes, using a word that has historically been diminishing and derisive for Asian people. 

In the Instagram story, posted in 2024, the social media personality wrote, “Botox isn’t for everyone, but I love it for me.” She continued, “I can also be a little [slur] when I smile, so I love getting a mini brow lift to open up my eyes.”

Cierra’s replies to fans who attempted to educate her back then also went viral on social media. In one screenshot unearthed by social media users, Cierra quickly shut down a fan who brought awareness to the term’s derogatory tone. “Oh, man, thankfully, that’s not how I used it,” she said. 

The reality of Asian racism in the US

Considering the current political climate in the United States and the previous removal of contestants from Love Island for similar reasons, Cierra’s words didn’t sit right with the Love Island audience. 

The slur she used originated in the 19th century to refer to Chinese workers amid a wave of deportations. Now, it is often aimed at the Asian community to derogate their facial features. 

Anti-Asian hate is not to be taken lightly either. According to a survey conducted in 2024 by The Asian American Foundation, 32% of Asian Americans in the US have been called a slur within the last 12 months. Meanwhile, 29% said someone verbally harassed or abused them over the past year. Similarly, the majority of Asian Americans have felt unsafe or uncomfortable because of their race, ethnicity, or religion. About 57% of Asian Americans said they have felt unsafe or uncomfortable on social media (18%), in their neighborhoods (16%), at school (15%), and even at their workplace (15%).

Cierra Ortega’s parents respond

Cierra has yet to make a public appearance or share a statement. However, her parents, who have administered her Instagram account since the show started, addressed her removal from the show. 

On an Instagram story, the couple asked for compassion for their daughter and shared their thoughts on the backlash Cierra is facing. “We’re not here to justify or ignore what [has] surface[d]. We understand why people [are] upset, and we know accountability matters. But what’s happening online right now has gone far beyond that.

“While she’ll always be our little girl, she’s also a woman, one who will take responsibility in her own time and her own voice,” they added. “Until then, we’re simply asking for compassion. For patience. For basic human decency. Not just for her but for everyone caught in the middle of this. Thank you to those who’ve continued to show love, even when it’s not easy. With love, her family.”

Racism in Love Island

This isn’t the first time one of Love Island’s contestants leaves the show following the reemergence of controversial posts. Earlier this season, Yulissa Escobar was removed from the show after episode 2, following the discovery of a podcast on the internet. In the video, Yulissa is heard pronouncing a racial slur against Black people. Pictures of her, supposedly supporting Donald Trump’s “Make America Great Again” movement, also surfaced. 

Escobar apologized publicly through a social media post. “I used [the slur] ignorantly, not fully understanding the weight, history, or pain behind it. I wasn’t trying to be offensive or harmful, but I recognize now that intention doesn’t excuse impact,” she wrote. “The impact of that word is real. It’s tied to generations of trauma, and it is not mine to use.”