What happened to Cierra Ortega on Love Island USA? Bombshell exit explained
Cierra is the second Islander to be removed from the villa.
Another Islander has left the Love Island US villa amidst unearthed social media posts, which audiences have been quick to condemn for its racist language.
Cierra Ortega entered the Fijian villa on day 2 of the reality dating series, and spent over three weeks on the show before she was removed on day 26.
Her exit was put down to a personal issue that took her away from the villa, but behind the scenes, controversy was at the forefront of her removal.
Read on to learn more about Cierra Ortega's exit from Love Island USA.
Why did Cierra Ortega leave Love Island USA?
During the latest episode of Love Island USA, narrator Iain Stirling confirmed Cierra had left the villa due to "a personal situation".
This came after a post from Cierra in 2015 was unearthed in which she used a derogatory term for Chinese people.
Amid the fallout, two of Cierra's account handlers announced they would no longer be running her social media while she was still in the villa, denouncing racist language of any kind.
In the following days, Cierra's parents shared a statement on her Instagram story, calling the ordeal "one of the most painful weeks of our lives".
The Instagram story read: "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."
"No one deserves that kind of hate, no matter what mistakes they've made," the statement continued.
Her parents noted that, upon Cierra's return, they believe she will "face this with honesty, growth, and grace".
"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."
Peacock declined to comment when approached by RadioTimes.com.
Love Island USA is available to watch on Peacock in the US.
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Authors
Katelyn Mensah is the Senior Entertainment Writer for Radio Times, covering all major entertainment programmes, reality TV shows and the latest hard-hitting documentaries. She previously worked at The Tab, with a focus on reality TV and showbiz news and has obtained a BA (Hons) in Journalism.
