Love Island USA’s Cierra Ortega is finally breaking her silence after leaving the villa amid a racism scandal.
“Now that I’ve been back within the U.S. for about 48 hours and I’ve had the possibility to process, I now feel like I’m at an area where I can discuss this without being highly emotional because I’m not the victim within the situation,” Cierra said in an Instagram video shared on Wednesday, July 9. “While I used to be within the villa, there have been some posts that resurfaced from my past where I used to be very naively using an incredibly offensive and derogatory term. I would like to first start by addressing not only anyone that I even have hurt or deeply offended — but most significantly — all the Asian community. I’m deeply, truly, truthfully, so sorry.”
Cierra admitted she didn’t know she was using a slur on the time.
“I had no concept that the word held as much pain, as much harm and got here with the history that it did or I never would have used it. I had no in poor health intention once I was using it but that’s absolutely no excuse because intent doesn’t excuse ignorance. It just doesn’t,” she noted. “ I just need you to know that I’m so sorry — but this will not be an apology video. That is an accountability video. I do need 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 concept that it was a slur. I had no idea of its meaning.”
While addressing the resurfaced post from 2024, Cierra recalled getting a message from a follower who called her comment “incredibly hurtful.”
“At that moment, I used to be embarrassed. I — in fact — immediately deleted the post. I used to be apologetic and I educated not only myself on the true meaning and the history of the word but in addition anyone around me who was unintentionally a holding space for this slur,” she explained. “I made the correction immediately. The work was immediately faraway from my vocabulary.”
Cierra clarified that other recent screengrabs of alleged conversations where she refused to remove the word from her vocabulary weren’t true.
“The reality is that in that moment, the lesson was learned, the word was removed and it was a real learning moment for me. Since that moment, I’ve done a lot growing as a person and I’ve tried my best to teach others who could be unintentionally holding space for all these words that could possibly be offensive of their vocabulary,” she continued. “I completely agree with the network’s decision to remove me from the villa. I believe that that is something that deserved punishment and the punishment has absolutely been received of course.”
After leaving the villa, Cierra has found the web backlash “very hard to cope with,” adding, “I can do my best to drown out the noise and concentrate to the reality. But what’s been extremely, extremely difficult is the way in which individuals are approaching my family and my family members. They’ve had ICE called on them. My family doesn’t feel protected in their very own home. I’m receiving death threats and there’s no have to fight hate with hate. I don’t think that that’s justice. If you need to know that you simply are heard and that I’m sorry and that I’ll move in another way, I promise you that’s what is going to occur.”
Cierra promised to take the essential steps to grow from the experience.
“I do know that no apology could ever be enough for the harm that I’ve caused and the offense that’s taken place. I do know that moving forward my actions and the way I resolve to live my life from here on out goes to talk louder than any apology ever could,” she said. “But I do need it to be known that I’m sorry and I did mean no harm. Hopefully there are people on the market that may use my mistake as a learning moment and to only be higher because that’s what I’m gonna do. I’m gonna take today and tomorrow and I’m gonna take strides to be higher.”
She concluded: “All I can ask for is even in the event you won’t give me forgiveness, in the event you can just allow me to grow with grace. As a substitute of sitting here and attempting to persuade you that I’m this amazing one who spreads light on this planet and celebrates culture and dynamics and backgrounds, in the future you will notice that from me. I’m deeply sorry again.”
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In the course of the July 6 episode of the Peacock series, narrator Iain Stirling confirmed that Cierra “left the villa on account of a private situation,” which meant her then-partner, Nic Vansteenberghe, was “officially single.”
Cierra’s exit got here after a racist post from her social media resurfaced while she was filming in Fiji. Islanders are sequestered while on Love Island USA, and with the intention to keep them focused on finding a match, they don’t have any contact with the skin world until they officially leave. That’s after they retrieve their phones and make amends for how the general public reacted to their time on the show.
Before Cierra was officially out of the villa, her social media handler and friend MJ Hedderman announced she was taking “a step back” amid the drama.
“Hi guys, I see your comments concerning someone I like and care about. I would like to be clear that I don’t condone racism, bigotry or hate in any way shape or form, nor was I aware of the recent screenshots until they were posted,” read MJ’s July Instagram Story. “I discovered it concurrently all of you probably did.”
MJ continued: “I cannot speak for anybody or make any statements besides my very own, and decided to take a step back from running her account. I used to be asked by her family to show off comments and refrain from speaking on her behalf. This example has been really difficult, and I’m still processing all the pieces.”
Cierra elaborated on the controversy in a separate statement added to her Instagram Stories.
Cierra’s parents also addressed the backlash before she got her phone back.
“I don’t, and have never, condoned racism or the repression of any cultural group in any form. I’d never intentionally use any word, especially a slur, to tear down anyone’s culture or community. Once I used that word, I didn’t fully understand what it meant or how much pain it carries,” she wrote on Wednesday. “I do know an apology means nothing without real accountability and alter, and that’s what l’ve done my best to live as much as since then and what I’ll proceed to do.”
Cierra noted she had “no in poor health intention,” adding, “I fully understand that impact matters greater than intent. I don’t expect forgiveness overnight. I just hope that in time I can show that l’m greater than a mistake, a label, or a personality on a highly edited reality show. I’m someone attempting to spread love and light-weight, even once I get it flawed, and I hope my actions from here speak louder than this error ever did.”
She continued: “My experience within the villa was nothing in need of magical. The memories I made and the people I met are ones I’ll cherish without end. While I’m heartbroken my journey needed to be cut short, I understand that mistakes, especially ones like this, deserve consequences. Once more, to the Asian community, I’m deeply sorry for my thoughtless mistake and the harm it caused.”
Latest episodes of Love Island USA will likely be released six days every week — apart from Wednesdays — on Peacock. The season 7 finale is about to air Sunday, July 13.