Why Did Ciara/Cierra Leave The Villa?

The Love Island USA villa got a shocking surprise over the weekend when contestant Cierra Ortega was forced to leave just a week before the Season 7 finale.

Ortega’s exit was not captured on the show, however, Sunday’s (July 6) episode revealed she had left the series due to a “personal situation.” Her exit from the Peacock series comes as multiple social media posts resurfaced online, showing her using racial slurs. Ortega’s exit from the villa left contestant Nicolas Vansteenberghe single and vulnerable with just days left in the season.

Her parents addressed the recent backlash Ortega is facing in a statement shared on her social media, calling the hate “uncalled for.”

“This has been one of the most painful weeks of our lives,” they wrote in a statement in which they also shared that Ortega has not yet seen the messages she’s been receiving. “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,” the statement continued. “It’s uncalled for. And no one deserves that kind of hate, no matter what mistake they’ve made.”

Former contestant Bell-A Walker also shared a statement speaking out against Ortega. Walker and Vansteenberghe were coupled up in the villa before Ortega arrived, leading to Walker’s elimination.

“As an Asian-American woman, I’m deeply appreciative of the Love Island USA producers for taking a stance and making it clear that racism of any kind is not tolerated,” she wrote.

“When I first saw what my fellow Islander said on their social media pages, I was incredibly heartbroken,” Walker’s statement continued. “But I wanted to wait until they left the villa and were able to address the situation, genuinely apologize, and commit to learning from the experience before deciding how our relationship would look moving forward.”

Ortega is now the second Love Island USA contestant to be removed from the villa this season due to racist social media posts. Contestant Yulissa Escobar was also asked to leave the villa after videos resurfaced online of her using a racist slur several times during a podcast interview.

She issued an apology on social media soon after her exit, claiming she “didn’t know better then.”

New episodes of Love Island USA Season 7 air every day, except for Wednesdays, at 9 p.m. on Peacock.