“Love Island USA” sent a cast member home after racist social media messages surfaced two days after the series announced this year’s cast. Vasana Montgomery used the n-word in two videos that are being circulated online.
Last year the show booted Yulissa Escobar for using the same slur, and Cierra Ortega was dismissed after she used a slur against Asian people.
In one video, Montgomery says, “Knock, knock [n-word]” while playing a shooting game at an arcade. In another, she raps the word along to a song. The videos that surfaced on social media appear to be privately owned and were not shared publicly until after the cast announcement. They were not published via a private social media account, and it’s unlikely Peacock would have seen them ahead of time.
The latest season of the reality series will premiere on June 2. Ariana Madix will host and Iain Stirling is narrating.
New episodes which debut daily during premiere week, and then will be released each weeknight (except Wednesdays) going forward.
Escobar’s exit last season came early in the second episode. At the time, no official reason was given for her departure. Soon after last year’s cast was announced, podcast interviews of Escobar describing her exes while using the n-word surfaced.
“I used [the N-word] ignorantly, not fully understanding the weight, history or pain behind it,” the Miami native wrote on her Instagram two days later. “I wasn’t trying to be offensive or harmful, but I recognize now that intention doesn’t excuse impact. And the impact of that word is real. It’s tied to generations of trauma, and it is not mine to use.”
Escobar’s departure left Ace Greene, Taylor Williams, Nicolas Vansteenberghe, Jeremiah Brown, Chelley Bissainthe, Huda Mustafa, Belle-A Walker and Olandria Carthen still on the show.
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