The tragedy has already struck the “love islandVilla — and the first episode hasn’t even aired yet! According to multiple media outlets, Vasana Montgomery, a planned OG, was kicked off the show before the premiere. Montgomery’s removal from the show comes after two videos of her appearing to say the N-word resurfaced. This isn’t the first time “Love Island” has punished a cast member for something like this. Last year, two cast members were removed from the show for similar reasons.
‘Love Island’ Removes New Cast Member Ahead of Series Premiere Due to Past Use of Racial Slur
Montgomery, 25, was announced as one of the leading ladies to enter the “Love Island” villa for season 8. However, her dream of finding love on national television has already come to an end.
Us Weekly confirmed that the hopeful reality star was kicked off the show due to her past use of the N-word.
Videos of the woman have appeared online, one of which shows her rapping to a song and using the slur. In the other video, Montgomery appears to say “Toc toc na” while playing an arcade game.
‘Love Island’ producers learned of the videos after Montgomery was revealed as part of the cast
Social media users wondered why “Love Island” producers hadn’t viewed Montgomery’s past videos before. However, a source confirmed to Us Weekly that the clips were private property, meaning someone leaked the videos after Montgomery was revealed as part of the cast.
Before her dismissal, Montgomery was featured in promotional materials for “Love Island.” In the trailer, the Oregon native shared what she would bring to the series.
“I think I’m the complete package,” she said. “I own a business, I live alone, I have a dog. If you asked my friends what my type is, they would show you the map of the world.”
“Love Island” has already had to deal with this
This isn’t the first time something like this has happened on “Love Island.” Last year, one of the show’s fan favorites, Cierra Ortega, was removed from the show after a video of her using a racial slur was shared online.
While Peacock and the “Love Island” production team chose not to comment on Ortega’s withdrawal from the show, her parents released a statement on their daughter’s behalf, saying she was not the type of person the public had imagined.
“We are not here to justify or ignore what has come to light. We understand why people are upset and we know that accountability is important. But what is happening online now goes far beyond that,” they wrote, adding that the “threats” had taken things to a new level.
“…we know our daughter. We know her heart. And when she returns, we believe she will face this with honesty, growth and grace,” they added. “In the meantime, we just ask for compassion. For patience. For basic human decency.”
Another islander was kicked out for using racial slurs in the past
Before that, Yulissa Escobar, another contestant on “Love Island” season 7, was also kicked off the show after videos of her saying the N-word went viral.
“First of all, I want to apologize for using a word that I had no right to use,” she said of the videos, according to PEOPLE. “Podcasts from years ago have recently resurfaced, and I want to address them directly.”
Escobar went on to say that she had no right to use the word she used, calling her actions “ignorant.”
“I wasn’t trying to be offensive or harmful, but I recognize now that intent doesn’t excuse impact. And the impact of that word is real. It’s tied to generations of trauma, and it’s not my place to use it,” she added.
Pennsylvania mayor makes headlines after criticizing ex-cop
The drama doesn’t end there. According to a previous report from The Blast, a Pennsylvania mayor, J. William Reynolds, made headlines after criticizing an ex-cop who left his job to film the new season of the series.
“Our police department spent a lot of time training and we paid thousands of taxpayer dollars to send him to the police academy. We are disappointed that he is gone because we now have another vacancy in our department that cannot be filled until next year,” Williams said. “I never thought there would be a day in America where being on a reality TV show would trump being a police officer.”
Williams was referring to Sean Reifel, a 29-year-old from Easton, Pennsylvania, who is looking for love in season 8.
“I’m not a model, I’m not an actor, I’m actually a police officer,” Reifel said in promotional clips for the series. “You could be having the worst day of your life, and I’m just going to help you sift through it.”
“Love Island” premieres Tuesday, June 2 at 9 p.m. EST on Peacock.
