Love Island USA alum Cierra Ortega has shared what she called “an accountability video” in response to her past use of “an incredibly offensive and derogatory term.”
In a video shared to Instagram and TikTok Wednesday evening, Ortega, whose exit from the Peacock hit was confirmed in a recent episode, said she was in agreement with the decision to remove her from the show. She also offered an apology, as well as looked back on “a true learning moment” she says she experienced last year.
We dig a bit deeper below. Keep reading for more.
Why is Cierra Ortega no longer on Love Island USA?
As previously reported, Ortega’s exit from the reality series’ seventh season came after resurfaced social media posts showed her using an ethnic slur. In one example, a screenshot-captured post saw Ortega writing, in part, “I can also be a little ch*nky when I laugh/smile so I love getting a mini brow lift to open up my eyes and get that snatched look.”
The controversy itself was not directly mentioned on the series, with fans being told only that Ortega had “left the villa due to a personal situation, leaving Nic [Vansteenberghe] officially single.”
An initial statement attributed to Ortega's family, meanwhile, was more direct.
How did Cierra Ortega's exit affect other Love Island USA stars?
“Right before Cierra had left, my mind was clear,” Vansteenberghe said in the same episode. “I knew what the future would look like. Now I’m lost.”
Vansteenberghe, however, later appeared to have swiftly made peace with this development.
What did Cierra Ortega say about the latest Love Island USA controversy?
“I know a lot of people have been waiting for me to speak up about the news that’s come to light recently and now that I’ve been back in the U.S. for about 48 hours and I’ve had the chance to process, I now feel like I’m at a space where I can speak about this without being highly emotional,” Ortega later said, as seen below, adding that she’s “not the victim in this situation.”
Speaking to those who were “hurt” by her resurfaced remarks, “but most importantly the entire Asian community,” Ortega went on to say that she is “deeply, truly, honestly so sorry.” According to Ortega, she was not aware that the word in question was a slur, at least not until a follower reached out last year to correct her.
“I genuinely had no idea that it was a slur,” Ortega said. “I had no idea of its meaning.”
In response, Ortega said, she stopped using the word while further educating herself and those around her about its history.
“This is something that deserved punishment,” Ortega, who also mentioned alleged death threats and ICE calls directed at her family, said Wednesday.
Moving forward, Ortega said she intends to “move differently” while hoping that her mistake can serve as its own “learning moment” for others.
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