The Truth About Love Island USA‘s Amaya’s Laugh as Fans Compare Her to Janice From Friends
Jason Pham
As one of the first bombshells on Love Island USA Season 7, Amaya turned heads from the moment she entered the villa—and it wasn’t just because of her viral laugh.
Amaya Espinal, a 25-year-old from New York City, New York, was one of two bombshells who joined Love Island USA on Day 5, along with Hannah Fields, a 23-year-old from Tucson, Arizona. She coupled up with Ace Greene on Day 6 after Ace’s original partner, Yulissa Escobar, was removed after videos of her saying the N-word resurfaced.
Related: All the Love Island USA couples who are still together
While Amaya went viral for her unusual laugh, with Ace even commenting on how he’d never heard a laugh like hers before, fans also wondered about Amaya’s ethnicity and her racial background.
What’s Amaya’s ethnicity from Love Island USA?
Amaya is Dominican and German, according to a TikTok video she shared in 2023 of her in the Netherlands. “Just a dominican girl and german girl in Amsterdam,” she captioned a video of her on a night out.
According to Ancestry.org, Amaya’s last name, Espinal, has Spanish and Catalan origins, though it’s a common surname in the Dominican Republic with several public figures, including MLB player Santiago Espinal and politician Flavio Dario Espinal, also sharing the last name.
In 2020, Amaya also shared a TikTok video of her showing her followers how to prepare a traditional Dominican breakfast consisting of fried cheese, salchichon (a type of sausage), and yucca.
Along with her racially ambiguous look, fans have also noted Amaya’s laugh on Love Island USA, with some wondering whether her voice is fake. “oh my god is this a real laugh or is it an act?” a TikTok user wrote, with the caption: “This s gonna be hard to listen to all szn LOL.”
“She ain’t even let none of them speak lmaooo she just kept yapping and laughing,” another user commented. One more wrote, “Idk but i cringe EVERY FUCKING TIME.”
Others compared Amaya’s laugh to the character Janice Hosenstein, who was known for her nasally and high-pitched laugh on the show Friends. “It’s giving Janice from friends 😩😂😂” a user wrote. Another user compared Amaya’s laugh to a viral interview between entertainment reporter Maria Menounos and Justin Bieber, who made fun of Menounos’ nasally chuckle. “It sounds like that one Justin bieber interview,” the user wrote.
While Amaya has her critics, others defended her, explaining that her laugh, voice and personality is a part of her background. “She’s Dominican. You guys just don’t get the vibe haha,” a user commented on a TikTok. When asked to explain, the user continued, “gorgeous, extrovert, super happy, hilarious, loud, never take things seriously, quirky laughter (like Cardi B). I think they’re saying she’s a try hard but she’s not taking herself that seriously… Of course I know like every country there are gonna be the complete opposite examples.”
Love Island USA streams on Peacock.
