Love Island USA’s Jaden Just Gave a Big Clue to if She & Austin Are Still Together After That Sudden Dumping
Jason Pham
Love Island USA Season 7 spoilers ahead. After they were victim of one of Love Island USA Season 7’s most brutal dumpings yet, fans have one question on their minds: Are Austin and Jaden still together? They have one main challenge to face after leaving the villa.
Austin Shepard, a 26-year-old from Northville, Michigan, and Jaden Duggar, a 25-year-old from Los Angeles, California, were two of five contestants eliminated on the July 3, 2025, episode of Love Island USA Season 7, along with TJ Palma, Gracyn Blackmore, and Andreina Santos.
Related: All the Love Island USA couples who are still together
While the dumping broke up TJ and his partner, Iris Kendall, Austin explained in a confessional interview after his elimination that the positive to him and Jaden being dumped is that they could at least leave the villa together. “It’s a bittersweet moment. I’m sad to go, but I’m glad I get to walk out of here with Jaden. I’m very happy about that. So I wouldn’t take anything back here,” Austin said. Jaden added, “I don’t have any regrets, and I’m blessed to have been here.” But where are they now?
Are Austin and Jaden still together from Love Island USA Season?
Given that Love Island USA airs new episodes around two to three days after they’re filmed, it’s likely that Austin and Jaden are still together, at the time of writing. Whether they stay together is the real question. Austin is from Fort Lauderdale, Florida, while Jaden is from Los Angeles, California, so they have the issue of distance going against them since they live on opposite coasts.
The two seemed to confirm that they were still together when Jaden posted a TikTok with Austin outside of the villa. “Grateful to leave the villa together!” she captioned the post where the overlay caption said “Were you devastated to leave the villa?” while they lip-synced to the audio saying “Immediately no.” Austin also liked a comment on TikTok saying, “um please tell me you and jaden are still gonna pursue each other”
Distance is also the reason that most couples on reality TV dating shows, including Love Island USA, break up, so Austin and Jaden have an uphill battle to climb. After Love Island USA Season 5, runners-up Kassy Castillo and Leonardo Dionicio announced that they had split due to the distance between them. (Kassy is from Fort Worth, Texas, while Leo is from West Hartford, Connecticut.)
“No Leo and I are not together, I think it’s just best that we do our own thing right now. It’s long-distance, it’s a lot. I still care for him and wish him all the best. Truly. He was my Love Island experience so he has a special place in my heart,” Kassy said in an Instagram live in 2023.
She continued, “Everything was real and genuine, that’s what makes it harder now. Breakups suck. All that I ask is for everyone to give us time because it’s so new. I care for him so much and I wish it didn’t go this way but I really do think this is for the best. I hope soon… who knows? I’m open to anything in the future but it’s just not aligning. He doesn’t deserve any harsh words or comments.”
While Austin and Jaden live in separate states and could face the same fate as Leo and Kassy, it’s also possible for their relationship to work long distance, like Season 6’s runners-up, Leah Kateb and Miguel Harichi. Leah is from Los Angeles, California, while Miguel is from London, United Kingdom.
In an interview with StyleCaster in February 2025, Leah explained that she and Miguel made their relationship work post-Love Island USA because Miguel almost immediately moved to Los Angeles to be closer to her. “It’s always been my dream to have a barn so I can take in foster animals,” Leah told StyleCaster about her and Miguel’s plans to build a house together. “Miguel gets to pick one animal. He wants a cow. I want fainting goats.”
At the time of writing, both Austin and Jaden follow each other on Instagram, which could be a good sign of their relationship post-show.
Love Island USA streams on Peacock.
