Love Island update as Ofcom reveals why it's dismissing record 14,000 complaints

Daily Mirror

15 hours ago

Broadcasting regulator Ofcom has confirmed that it will not be investigating the more than 14,000 complaints that it received about Love Island's latest series on ITV2
Ofcom has announced that it will not be investigating complaints it received about Love Island 's latest season. More than 14,000 complaints were sent to the broadcasting regulator about the season, which aired this summer.
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The ITV show returned in June for its twelfth season, which then had an eight-week run that concluded earlier this month. The live finale, which aired on August 4 on ITV2, saw islanders Toni Laites and Cach Mercer named as the winners of the reality TV show.
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Love Island was faced with concerns of a 'rift' amongst the islanders over the course of the season. Some fans are said to have complained to Ofcom with allegations of bullying, misogyny and fears for the wellbeing of participants.
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As reported by OK! magazine, one particular episode, broadcast on July 24, was the most controversial. It showed the 'Grafties' ceremony, which exposed private conversations between islanders in front of the whole villa. They were revealed in awards-style categories like Most Emotional Moment, Best No Filter Moment and Flirtiest Performance.
The episode generated 3,547 complaints that all related to alleged bullying of islander Shakira Khan. She had been nominated in four out of six categories, which sparked outrage from some viewers who worried about the possible impact any fallout from it could have on her mental health.
One person wrote at the time: "Any reason you have shown no bad clips of Meg but made Shakira look like the villain?" Another said: "Why do they keep setting up Toni and Shakira all the time for drama with Meg. Show Meg and Helena!"
Whilst a third viewer wrote: "Not a fan of you showing vulnerable crying moments of people." Sharing their thoughts, someone else said: "You can never make us hate Shakira."
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Overall, the latest season of Love Island amassed 14,154 complaints to Ofcom, it's been reported. It's the highest number of complaints about the dating show since the summer series in 2021, which had been met with 36,000 complaints.
An Ofcom spokesperson has issued a statement on their decision to dismiss the complaints. They said: "We carefully assessed the complaints we received about this series of Love Island."
They continued: "We recognise that emotionally charged or confrontational scenes can upset some viewers. But, in our view, negative behaviour in the villa was not shown in a positive light, and contestants were seen supporting or apologising to each other."
The spokesperson added that they also considered the format of the show. They concluded: "We also took into account that the format of this reality show is well-established, and viewers would expect to see highs and lows as relationships and friendships are tested."