The Real Reason Ariana Madix Was Temporarily Replaced by Maura Higgins on Love Island USA
The numbers are in and Love Island USA is officially having its best season yet, thanks in no small part to its new host, Ariana Madix, and some of TV’s horniest Islanders. Madix was mysteriously absent from season 6, episode 31, however, leading some fans to wonder why she’d been replaced by Maura Higgins.
Related: Meet the cast of Love Island USA season 6
It’s Madix’s first time hosting this explosive, drama-filled reality dating show—she replaced Sarah Hyland who for scheduling reasons could return for the sixth season. The decision to on-board the Vanderpump Rules alum has been a good one, by the looks of things. According to Nielsen, for the week of June 24 to 30, Love Island USA was the most-watched streaming reality series in the U.S.
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Narrated by Iain Stirling, Love Island USA is shot in real-time from Fiji. Based on the show’s proximity to Los Angeles, where Madix lives, and a few things going on with our beloved host’s life outside of the show, there could be a few explanations for why Ariana Madix was absent from the episode that aired on July 15, 2024.
Related: Which couples are still together from Love Island USA?
Where was Ariana Madix?
We don’t know for sure, but we can take a few educated guesses. First of all, Madix’s stint as Roxie Hart in Broadway’s Chicago has been extended, so she may have had to be in New York City for something related to that—a contract extension, perhaps?
Off stage, Madix is currently embroiled in a revenge porn lawsuit with fellow ex-Vanderpump star Rachel Leviss, so her absence could be related to that. (The flight time from Los Angeles to Nadi, Fiji, is over 11 hours, btw.) Leviss claims Tom Sandoval recorded explicit videos of her without her consent during private Facetime calls, and she accuses Madix of then sharing those videos with others.
Related: Here’s everyone who’s been dumped from Love Island USA season 6
Madix requested the claim be thrown out on the basis that her actions were protected free speech under the First Amendment. On July 12, 2024, a Los Angeles Superior Court judge upheld Leviss’ claim, finding that Madix’s alleged distribution of an explicit video of Leviss was not protected under free speech.
“We are pleased at the Court’s recognition that Ms. Madix’s actions were illegal,” Bryan Freedman, an attorney for Leviss, wrote in a statement, per CBS News. “She does not have a free speech right to break into her boyfriend’s phone, steal sexually compromising videos of another woman, and disseminate them to menace and terrorize her. Her actions went well beyond protected speech, and her anger at Rachel provides no legal cover for lashing out in violation of multiple criminal laws.”
