Cierra Ortega of 'Love Island USA' apologizes for using 'incredibly offensive and derogatory term' that got her booted from show

Cierra Ortega, a contestant on this summer’s season of Love Island USA,abruptly left the villa just one week before the reality television dating show’s finale is set to air on Peacock.

Ortega’s departure was announced on Sunday after resurfaced social media posts in which she allegedly uses a racial slur against Asians began circulating online. In a nearly five-minute video posted on Instagram on July 9, Ortega opened with an apology to "not just anyone that I have hurt or deeply offended, but most importantly, the entire Asian community. I am deeply, truly, honestly, so sorry."

The backlash against the L.A.-based influencer hit a fever pitch in recent weeks, with many fans of the show calling for her removal. Iain Stirling, the show’s narrator, announced that Ortega had left the villa “due to a personal situation” in Sunday’s episode, though no specific reason was given.

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This isn’t the first time a contestant on this season of Love Island USA has been booted from the villa after using a racial slur on social media. Yulissa Escobar, who appeared in just two episodes, was abruptly removed from the show after clips of her using a racist slur on a podcast resurfaced online. Contestants were also not told why Escobar left.

Cierra Ortega. (Kim Nunneley/Peacock)

Ortega was introduced on this season of Love Island USA at the end of Episode 2, when she entered the villa as a new bombshell — a potential love interest — for fellow contestants. She eventually went on to form a connection with Nic Vansteenberghe, a registered nurse from Jacksonville, Fla.

Here’s everything you need to know about the controversy.

What exactly happened?

Ortega’s departure comes after weeks of backlash from fans, who uncovered two social media posts in which she used an anti-Asian racial slur.

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The first instance is an Instagram Story, reportedly from February 2023, in which Ortega appears to speak candidly about why she’s getting Botox. Ortega had reportedly written, “I can also be a little ch***y when I laugh/smile so I love getting a mini brow lift to open up my eyes and get that snatched look.”

Another Instagram post, reportedly from 2015, shows Ortega smiling at the top of a hill, presumably after a hike or run, with the caption, “Still ch***in’ even at the top.”

Ortega, on a separate occasion, was apparently made aware of the word’s racist connotation but continued to use it anyway. One TikTok user posted a screenshot showing that one of Ortega’s Instagram followers had sent her a direct message in January 2024, letting her know that the word is “so derogatory.” Ortega reportedly responded, “oh man thankfully that’s not how I used it.”

Several fans immediately called for Ortega’s removal, asserting that she should be held accountable for her use of the word. While some fans argued that Ortega may not have known that the word is considered an anti-Asian racial slur, others believe her use of it was intentionally harmful and should be taken seriously.

Who was Ortega in a couple with before she left?

Cierra Ortega and Nic Vansteenberghe. (Ben Symons/Peacock)

Ortega, prior to her sudden departure, was coupled up with Vansteenberghe. The pair first coupled up in Episode 6 after immediately hitting it off.

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Vansteenberghe was then momentarily dumped from the island during Casa Amor week — when new female and male contestants are brought in to test the current contestants’ existing connections — but later returned to Ortega in a tearful embrace. They recoupled and became “closed off” — a Love Island term for focusing only on each other — during Episode 25.

Following Ortega’s departure in Episode 30, Vansteenberghe revealed that it felt “bittersweet” without her.

“It is bittersweet. I was kind of really excited to feel closed off with somebody,” Vansteenberghe said. “It took a lot for me to get to that point but it was just not meant to be.”

Vansteenberghe is now coupled up with fellow contestant Olandria Carthen. Together, they’re affectionately referred to by fans as “Nicolandria.”

What has the fallout been like?

Ortega’s friend, influencer MJ Hedderman, was in charge of posting on her social media accounts during her time in the villa. Hedderman, in the wake of the controversy, has since announced that she’s taking “a step back.”

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“Hi guys, I see your comments concerning someone I love and care about. I want to be clear that I do not condone racism, bigotry or hate in any way shape or form, nor was I aware of the recent screenshots until they were posted,” Hedderman wrote on July 4. “I discovered it at the same time as all of you did. I cannot speak for anybody or make any statements besides my own and decided to take a step back from running her account.”

Ortega’s other friend Johnnie Olivia, who is part Filipino, shared a similar statement on Instagram Story.

“I’m sure many of you have noticed that I’ve refrained from talking about Love Island and have stopped publicly supporting my friend on the show. This was after I saw a post involving a racial slur for the first time,” Olivia wrote. “I loved supporting her during her time on the show, but once I came across that post, I felt it was necessary to take a step back. I do not support or condone that kind of language never have, never will.”

Since Ortega’s use of the anti-Asian racial slur became public knowledge, her popularity on social media has dipped considerably. Ortega reportedly lost more than 120,000 Instagram followers following the July 1 episode of Love Island USA.

Has Ortega said anything about it?

On July 9, Ortega responded to the backlash herself in a video post on Instagram. "While I was in the villa, there were some posts that resurfaced from my past where I was very naively using an incredibly offensive and derogatory term," she said in the video. "I had no idea that the word held as much pain, as much harm, and came with the history that it did, or I never would have used it. I had no ill intention when I was using it, but that's absolutely no excuse because intent doesn't excuse ignorance."

Prior to Ortega's personal apology, her family shared a statement on her behalf. Ortega’s family revealed that they’ve received a slew of threats since the social media posts resurfaced and are asking that audiences be kind.

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“While Cierra is not in the villa anymore, she is still away. She hasn’t had the chance to process any of this or speak for herself,” Ortega’s family wrote on her Instagram Story. “But we know our daughter. We know her heart. And when she returns, we believe she’ll face this with honesty, growth, and grace.”

Have any ‘Love Island USA’ cast members said anything about it?

Jeremiah Brown, who exited the villa in Episode 18, said during a TikTok livestream, “I don’t condone no type of racial slurs, brother. I’ve been dealing with that my whole life, bro.”

Belle-A Walker, a Filipino American who was dumped from the villa in Episode 6, posted a lengthy response to Ortega’s reported use of the anti-Asian slur.

“When I first saw what my fellow Islander said on their social media pages, I was incredibly heartbroken,” Walker wrote. “But I wanted to wait until they left the villa and were able to address the situation, genuinely apologize, and commit to learning from the experience before deciding how our relationship would look moving forward.”

Walker continued, “As screenshots continued to surface, it became clear that I could no longer support this person, and made the decision to unfollow them a couple of days ago.”