During Sunday night’s episode of Love Island USA on Peacock, another Islander departed the competition for the second time this season.
Nearly 20 minutes into Episode 30, narrator Iain Stirling announced that Cierra Ortega had left the villa due to personal reasons. Cierra was nearly an OG of the season, appearing since Episode 2. She was one of the first two bombshells.
The first time this season, an Islander departed the villa outside the scope of the dating competition itself was Yulissa Escobar in Episode 2.
Why did Cierra Ortega leave ‘Love Island USA’ Season 7?
The reason wasn’t addressed in the episode, but in recent days, she had been subject to controversy and backlash over an alleged, resurfaced Instagram story in which she used a derogatory term in reference to Asian features. Cierra’s leaving the villa left her partner, Nicolas “Nic” Vansteenberghe, single. At the end of the episode, he ended up recoupling with Olandria Carthen.
What was different in Stirling’s announcement for Cierra vs. Yulissa was when Yulissa’s exit was announced by him, it was simply “Yulissa has left the villa.”
Amid the surfacing of the alleged old post, combined with polarizing audience reception to Cierra and other Islanders in recent episodes, she lost several hundred thousand followers on Instagram in the past week.
She’s yet to make a public statement about her exit yet, but now that she is out of the villa, it is likely only a matter of time before she speaks out about it.
Cierra Ortega’s parents make a statement after her exit
Though Cierra hasn’t made a statement herself. Late Sunday night, her parents made a post on her Instagram story addressing the news.
They wrote in part:
As Cierra’s parents, this has been one of the most painful weeks of our lives.
We’ve seen the posts, the headlines, the hurt and the hate. And while Cierra hasn’t seen any of it yet, we have. And so have the people who love her.
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.
While Cierra is not in the villa anymore, she is still away. She hasn’t had the chance to process any of this or speak for herself. But we know our daughter. We know her heart. And when she returns, we believe she’ll face this 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.
Thank you to those who’ve continued to show love, even when it’s not easy.
— With love,
Her family
When is the ‘Love Island USA’ Season 7 finale?
Love Island USA airs episodes each day except for Wednesdays on Peacock. The season finale is on Sunday, July 13.
