Cierra Ortega’s journey in the “Love Island USA” villa has come to an unexpected end.
The Islander was removed from the villa during Episode 30 of the season, which streamed on Peacock on Sunday, July 6, just one week before the finale on July 13.
Narrator Iain Stirling made the announcement about 15 minutes into the episode.
“Welcome back to ‘Love Island USA,'” Stirling said after the first commercial break. “Cierra has left the villa due to a personal situation, leaving Nic officially single.”
Ortega’s removal came after viewers surfaced old social media posts of hers that contained racial slurs. The 25-year-old influencer lost over 100,000 Instagram followers overnight once posts surfaced online.
TODAY.com has reached out to Peacock for comment. Peacock is owned by NBCUniversal, TODAY’s parent company.
Ortega has not publicly addressed her departure, but her parents issued a statement on her Instagram story addressing the matter.
@cierra.ortega via Instagram Stories
“As Cierra’s parents, this has been one of the most painful weeks of our lives,” the post began.
“We’re not here to justify or ignore what’s surfaced. We understand people are upset, and we know accountability matters. But what’s happening online right now has gone far beyond that.”
The statement continued with her parents asking for “compassion,” “patience,” and “basic human decency,” concluding with gratitude for those who continued to show love and support.
“While she’ll always be our little girl, she’s also a woman, one who will take responsibility in her own time and her own voice,” the post read.
The post was signed, “With love, her family.”
Social media reactions to the Islander’s departure were polarized. Some viewers celebrated the decision, with one TikTok video of an outside watch party showing people cheering when Stirling announced her exit.
“CIERRA FINALLY GOT KICKED OUT🥳😜” read the caption of the video.
Another user wrote, “‘cierra has left th—👏👏👏👏👏”.
While many are celebrating the Islander’s removal from the series, others are expressing concern about the online backlash’s intensity and its potential impact on her mental health.
“Hoping she takes accountability and heals,” one user commented.
“Am I the only one concerned about her mental health,” another user wrote. “What she said was inexcusable and wrong and she had to leave but people are overdoing it now. Hope whoever is close to her keeps a close watch on her.”
Ortega is the second Islander to be removed from Season 7 due to similar circumstances. Yulissa Escobar was removed from the villa in Episode 2, also due to resurfaced clips of her using racist language.
Ortega joined “Love Island USA” Season 7 as a bombshell during Episode 1, alongside Charlie Georgiou.
Her arrival featured a blindfolded kissing challenge, and she immediately set her sights on Nic Vansteenberghe, who was originally coupled up with Belle-A Walker.
Vansteenberghe chose to re-couple with Ortega at the next re-coupling ceremony, sending Walker home. The pair remained together throughout the season and had recently made their relationship exclusive during a one-on-one date, just days before her removal of the villa.
Following Ortega’s departure, the boys tried to comfort Vansteenberghe.
“Right before Cierra had left, my mind was clear,” Vansteenberghe said in his confessional. “I knew what the future would look like, and now I’m lost.”
As the villa prepares for the finale without two of its original contestants, the remaining Islanders face their final week navigating both romance and the reality of how quickly circumstances can change.
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