Love Island USA‘s Nic Also Accused of Racist Post After Cierra Was Fired From the Show for Using a Racial Slur
It’s just days before the Love Island USA Season 7 finale, and it seems like fans are encountering some kind of controversy every episode. Just hours after Cierra’s abrupt exit, some Love Island watchers discovered a racist comment from Nic’s social media.
What racial slur did Cierra use on Love Island USA?
On the July 6 episode of Love Island USA, Iain Stirling announced that Cierra Ortega would be leaving the villa due to “a personal situation.” The real reason she left the show was because of resurfaced racist comments using the word “chinky,” an offensive racial slur toward the East Asian community, that appeared on her Instagram story. “botox isn’t for everyone but I love it for me!!!” Cierra captioned an Instagram Story of her at a medical office. “I am incredible expressive with my face and I catch myself frowning for no reason throughout the day when I’m focusing on something or thinking too hard lol. I can also be a little chinky when I laugh/smile so I love getting a mini brow lift to open up my eyes and get that snatched look.”
She was coupled partner Nicolas “Nic” Vansteenberghe, a 24-year-old from Jacksonville, Florida, since the first week, and the two became the first couple to close things off. Fans also observed a racist action from Nic’s camp in a resurfaced video on his TikTok when he was in high school. “He say he hungry this p****y a kitchen #fyp #ForYouPage #chinese,” he captioned the post of him and his classmates dissecting a cat. Many fans thought that the #chinese hashtag was uncalled for and perpetuates the stereotype that East Asians eat their own pets. “This post is so disturbing,” one fan commented.
After her departure, Cierra’s family took to Instagram to address the hate that she was receiving. They described the fallout as “one of the most painful weeks of our lives.”
“We’re not here to justify or ignore what’s surfaced,” they wrote. “We understand why people are upset and we know accountability matters. But what’s happening online right now has gone far beyond that. No-one deserves that kind of hate, no matter what mistakes they’ve made.”
The departure follows Yulissa Escobar leaving the show after she said a racial slur on a podcast in 2021. After her exit, Yulissa shared an Instagram post, apologizing for the clip. “First, I want to apologize for using a word I had no right in using. Podcast clips from years ago have recently resurfaced, and I want to address it directly. In those clips, I used a word I never should’ve used, a racial slur. I used it 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. “And the impact of that word is real. It’s tied to generations of trauma, and it is not mine to use. At the time, I was speaking casually in conversation, not thinking deeply or critically about what I was saying. But that doesn’t take away from how wrong it was. The truth is, I didn’t know better then, but I do now. I’ve taken the time to reflect, to learn, and to grow from that moment.”
Love Island USA streams on Peacock.
