Love Island USA’s Cierra Ortega broke her silence on ex Nic Vansteenberghe and Olandria Carthen‘s romance.
“‘You look happier!’ Thanks, I booked a flight to Mykonos after surviving the villain edit on reality [tv] and I didn’t end up with the guy who never actually liked me and wanted my friend the entire time,” the reality star said via TikTok on Saturday, July 20, along with a video of her recent vacation.
Cierra departed the series during the July 6 episode, after narrator Iain Stirling told viewers Cierra left “due to a personal situation.” Her departure came shortly after a racist post from her social media surfaced while filming.
Cierra addressed the situation via Instagram in a video shared on July 9.
“Now that I’ve been back in the U.S. for about 48 hours and I’ve had the chance to process, I now feel like I’m at a space where I can speak about this without being highly emotional because I am not the victim in the situation,” she explained. “While I was in the villa, there were some posts that resurfaced from my past where I was very naively using an incredibly offensive and derogatory term. I want to first start by addressing not just anyone that I have hurt or deeply offended — but most importantly — the entire Asian community. I am deeply, truly, honestly, so sorry.”
She added that she didn’t know that she was using a slur originally.
@cierraortega passport stamps are like forehead kisses
♬ original sound – Cierra Ortega
“I had no idea that the word held as much pain, as much harm and came with the history that it did or I never would have used it. I had no ill intention when I was using it but that’s absolutely no excuse because intent doesn’t excuse ignorance. It just doesn’t,” she added. “I just need you to know that I am so sorry — but this is not an apology video. This is an accountability video. I do want to hold my hands up and say that I take accountability for using the word, but I do want it to be known that I genuinely had no idea that it was a slur. I had no idea of its meaning.”
Cierra noted that she immediately deleted the post after a follower brought it to her attention.
“At that moment, I was embarrassed. I — of course — immediately deleted the post. I was apologetic and I educated not only myself on the true meaning and the history of the word but also anyone around me who was accidentally a holding space for this slur,” she said. “I made the correction immediately. The work was immediately removed from my vocabulary.”
Love Island USA’s Belle-A Walker is speaking out after fellow contestant Cierra Ortega abruptly left the villa amid a resurfaced post in which she used a racial slur. “As a proud Asian American woman, I’m deeply appreciative of the Love Island USA producers for taking a stand and making it clear that racism of any […]
“The truth is that in that moment, the lesson was learned, the word was removed and it was a true learning moment for me. Since that moment, I’ve done so much growing as an individual and I’ve tried my best to educate others who might be accidentally holding space for these types of words that could be offensive in their vocabulary,” she continued. “I completely agree with the network’s decision to remove me from the villa. I think that this is something that deserved punishment and the punishment has absolutely been received for sure.”
Cierra also emphasized that she does not support “racism or the repression of any cultural group in any form” via her Instagram Stories.
