Why Did Yulissa Leave ‘Love Island USA?' Her Exit Follows Resurfaced Racist Remarks

Forbes

2 days ago

Only two episodes into Season 7 of Love Island USA, and there's already cast drama in Fiji. Peacock announced that contestant Yulissa Escobar had left the villa in Episode 2 but didn't provide any further explanation, sparking rumors that her departure may be linked to the resurfacing of past videos in which she used racial slurs.
On Thursday, May 29, the 27-year-old Miami, Florida native was announced as one of the Season 7 cast members, alongside nine other singles heading to Fiji to compete on the popular reality dating show, which airs six days a week on Peacock.
However, eighteen minutes into Episode 2, the show's narrator Iain Stirling revealed the news just before the islanders were shown waking up. 'Welcome back to Love Island USA. Yulissa has left the villa,' he said, hinting that she may have been removed in the middle of the night.
Oddly, there was no further explanation – and the announcement was so casual that some viewers didn't even notice until the end of the episode during the recoupling.
Adding to the confusion, there was no acknowledgment of Yulissa's absence from the other Islanders or her new partner, Ace Greene, whom she had just coupled up with the night before. 'Ace is single now! Who should he chat up next?' read a new poll posted during the episode on the show's app.
While Peacock has yet to provide an explanation for Yulissa's exit, several news outlets reported that, following the cast announcement, videos resurfaced online showing Escobar allegedly using racial slurs – possibly prompting producers to remove her from the show.
According to TMZ, Yulissa reportedly used the N-word on two separate podcasts while discussing past relationships. The clips went viral on social media ahead of the Season 7 premiere, and in response, Love Island fans vowed to vote her out once submissions opened through the show's official app.
The series films almost in real time with a one- to two-day delay, so it's very possible that after seeing the controversial videos, producers made the decision to pull Yulissa. Her last post related to the show was on her Instagram story 16 hours ago. (Peacock has been contacted for comment. This article will be updated if they respond.)
After realizing Yulissa was gone, fans flooded the contestant's Instagram comments and took to social media platforms like TikTok and X to express relief that she was no longer on the show, noting they didn't have to vote her out themselves.
'This girl on the internet saying the N word.. loud and proud. what kind of vetting did yall do producers???' one comment read.
'the fact that we didn't even get the privilege to vote her off gets me mad but hey a win is a win 🤣 they really said y'all want her off you got it!' added another user on Instagram.
'I'm gone always support Love Island. They really listened to the uproars of the country . We didn't even have to vote Yulissa off. Amen," another viewer wrote on X.
Escobar has not yet addressed her exit or the backlash surrounding it.
The remaining Islanders on Season 7 include main cast members Chelley Bissainthe, Huda Mustafa, Belle-A Walker, Olandria Carthen, Ace Greene, Taylor Williams, Nicolas Vansteenberghe, and Jeremiah Brown, along with two new bombshells, Cierra Ortega and Charlie Georgiou. Former Vanderpump Rules star Ariana Madix returned as host for her second season.
Love Island USA airs daily, except Wednesdays, at 9 p.m. ET on Peacock.