Reality TV Contestant Removed From Love Island USA Over Use of Racial Slur
According to the CinemaDrame News Agency, For the second consecutive year, the reality dating series Love Island USA has removed a contestant after videos surfaced showing the use of a racial slur.
Vasana Montgomery will no longer appear in Season 8 of the show, which premieres on Peacock on June 2. The decision came just two days after the new cast was officially announced and mirrors a similar controversy from last year, when Yulissa Escobar was removed from the series after videos emerged of her using the same offensive term. Later in that season, Cierra Ortega was also dismissed after using a derogatory expression directed at Asians; she subsequently claimed she had been unaware of the phrase’s offensive meaning.
In videos recently circulated on social media, Montgomery is seen using the slur in two separate instances. In one clip, she utters the term while playing a shooting game at an amusement park. In another, she is sitting in a car and singing along to a song that contains the same word.
Reports indicate that both videos were originally shared through private accounts and only became publicly accessible after the Season 8 cast announcement. As a result, the clips may not have been identified during Peacock’s background screening process for contestants.
Montgomery, 25, is from Beaverton, Oregon. In her introductory video, she said, “I think I have all the qualities someone would want. I’m a business owner, I live on my own, and I have a dog. If you asked my friends about my dating preferences, they’d probably show you a world map.”
The new season of Love Island USA will air daily during its first week. After that, new episodes will be released every day except Wednesdays. Ariana Madix returns as host, while Iain Stirling serves as narrator.
