Cierra Ortega was taken out of the Love Island Season 7 villa on Sunday, 6th of July, after old social media posts came back into the spotlight, leading to a major backlash online.
The 25-year-old content creator from Phoenix, Arizona, was reportedly involved in posting anti-Asian slurs in both 2015 and 2020, which caused thousands of viewers to express anger across various platforms.
Fans quickly reacted in anger after the posts reappeared, especially one from an Instagram story in 2015 where Ortega used a racial slur while commenting on her smile.
Another similar phrase appeared in a 2020 TikTok video, where she talked about her appearance and cosmetic treatments. In both cases, she used the same word, widely recognized as a derogatory term toward Asians.
As these posts spread online, Ortega lost close to 200,000 followers on Instagram in just two days, especially when Ortega did not seem interested in apologizing for what she had posted.
Viewers of the show took to TikTok and X to demand accountability, tagging producers and questioning the show’s casting decisions.
In Sunday night’s episode, the show’s narrator, Iain Stirling, briefly told the audience that Ortega had exited the villa for personal reasons.
Her partner on the show, Nic Vansteenberghe, was allowed to remain and continue his time on the series, with the option to form new connections.
Sources close to the production shared that after careful discussion, the team decided that Ortega could not stay on the show. The use of such language, even from years ago, was seen as unacceptable, especially considering the program’s large and diverse audience.
This is not the first time a Love Island cast member has been evicted for use of racist slurs, as Yulissa Escobar, also from Season 7, was evicted for using the N-word. She however issued an apology.
Ortega’s family have pleaded on her behalf, urging fans and viewers of the show to stop sending her cruel messages and death threats as their daughter simply made a mistake.
Ortega is yet to respond.