Love Island USA contestant Cierra Ortega was reportedly removed from the villa over a resurfaced racial remark.
The 25-year-old influencer, who boasts 715k followers on Instagram, left the reality show on Sunday ‘due to a personal situation’ shortly after a historic video of her discussing Botox treatments went viral.
During the February 2023 clip she uses a derogatory term for Chinese people which has been heavily criticised by those circulating the video and, per People, she used it once before in 2015.
Ortega has not directly addressed the controversy but her parents, who are currently controlling her social media, released a statement on her Instagram story on Sunday confirming she was not yet back online.
They called it ‘one of the most painful weeks of our lives’ and addressed ‘the hurt and the hate’ they had seen.
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The message continued: ‘We’re not here to justify or ignore what’s surfaced.
‘We understand why people are upset, and we know accountability matters. But what’s happening online right now has gone far beyond that. The threats. The cruel messages.
‘The attacks on her family, her friends, even her supporters, it’s heartbreaking. It’s uncalled for. And no one deserves that kind of hate, no matter what mistake they’ve made.’
They added that Ortega – who was paired with costar Nic Vansteenberghe during the Iain Stirling hosted show – had not yet ‘processed’ what had happened but believed she would face this with ‘with honesty, growth, and grace.’
‘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.
‘Until then, we’re simply asking for compassion. For patience. For basic human decency. Not just for her, but for everyone caught in the middle of this,’ they concluded.
Ortega is not the first season seven contestant to be removed from the villa following the re-emergence of past racial remarks.
Yulissa Escobar exited the show after just one episode although little explanation for her sudden departure was offered on the show.
At the same time, TMZ had obtained clips of the reality star using the N-word on two separate occasions.
Meanwhile, at the end of last month, it emerged that original Love Island USA star Cashel Barnett, 34, had been accused of assaulting his ex-girlfriend in front of the former couple’s one-year-old child.
He was arrested in Utah on charges relating to assault, aggravated assault, and domestic violence in the presence of a child.
Metro has reached out to Cierra Ortega and NBC for comment.
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