Latest news with #MichelleBissainthe
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
BuzzFeed apologizes for offensive post about ‘Love Island USA's' Chelley Bissainthe
The post included an apology to the 'Love Island USA' star, along with a listicle of how workplaces should correct their offensive behavior. The digital media outlet BuzzFeed has apologized for a post it made about 'Love Island USA' contestant Michelle 'Chelley' Bissainthe. BuzzFeed and its food vertical 'Tasty,' made a since-deleted Instagram post in early July listing the different 'Love Island USA' season seven contestants and what they would make them for breakfast. The idea comes from an element of the show, that films the islanders almost every day and shows them eating breakfast in the morning. As a small act of chivalry, the male contestants usually make food for the female contestants. The post was supposed to make light-hearted suggestions for each islander, but for Bissainthe's breakfast, Tasty said it would make her 'a bowl of fruit, Goldfish, and a knuckle sandwich.' The post received backlash immediately, with many fans questioning why the brand would imply that one of the main Black female contestants on the show deserved to be punched in the face. The contestants from the show tend to face public opinion, scrutiny, and hate for the duration of the season and long after, and brands try to join in on the spectacle. But for many, Tasty's random attack on Bissainthe took it too far. Bissainthe's social media team responded to the post with a statement on her Instagram story, calling it 'disturbing, disgusting, and unacceptable.' 'It is the harsh reality that implicit biases can be rooted in antiblackness, misogyny, prejudice, violence, etc,' the statement said. 'We will not accept a narrative in which Chelley deserves violence.' BuzzFeed had already taken down the post following the recation, but yesterday, the outlet issued an apology, written by two Black staffers. The post was not only for Bissainthe. In true BuzzFeed listicle form, the post outlined 11 steps on how a company addresses its offensive behavior. It is embellished with GIFs and has anonymous quotes from employees. 'This mistake deeply hurt members of the Black community, both internally and in our audience,' the post said. 'But instead of ignoring the issue or sweeping it under the rug, we want to use it as a case study of what any workplace or community must face when it falls short and show what it looks like to try, sincerely, to do better.' The first step of the instructions was to 'take time to listen to your audience and employees about how it impacted them.' Some employees were quoted anonymously in the post. One said, 'As a Black woman at the company, I was mostly disappointed and confused. It made me think about all the experiences that I have to go through on the daily basis. Darker skin is automatically seen as aggressive. No matter what you do, what you say or how you say it.' Another said, 'My trust in my company has faltered, and my safe haven now has a crack.' The post's 11 points discuss taking responsibility and making 'genuine apologies,' working on 'covering Black people in a positive light,' and creating 'inclusive and safe spaces.' It also acknowledged that it would take more than 11 steps to 'fight against existential discrimination.' 'Through these steps and our work we are aiming every day to promote Black joy, to protect Black women, and to help steer a much larger and whiter organization in a direction that's inclusive for us and all others,' the post said. More must-reads: Potential PBS replacement network says slavery was 'no big deal' in video Appeals court agrees NFL can be put on trial over claims Black coaches face discrimination Abby Phillip confronts Jillian Michaels after she downplays U.S. slavery on CNN Solve the daily Crossword
Yahoo
12-08-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Chelley Bissainthe and Ace Greene Left the Villa as a Couple—Here's What They've Said About Becoming Long-Distance
When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission. Spoilers for all of Love Island USA season 7 ahead. This year's installment of Love Island USA was quite different from the usual Love Island experience. Rather than following the cadence that long-time viewers of the reality TV series's fandom were used to, LIUSA season 7's cast was all about exploring, to the detriment of viewers looking for the "love" in Love Island. No couple was safe, either from their fellow Islanders's game-changing votes or from America's. And no couple exemplifies season 7's unique outlook on dating and connection more than Florida-born day trader Michelle "Chelley" Bissainthe and L.A.-based dance influencer Ace Greene. In another world, Chelley and Ace could've been the strongest couple out of the gate—with a fairytale story of a pair who met in the real world, didn't pursue it due to geographical distance, and were able to spend six whole weeks deepening their connection. Instead, they spent so much time exploring other Islanders and getting caught up in drama that by the time they finally locked in, it was too late to make it to the July 13 finale. Still, once the dust settles, Chellace could be one of this cohort's most solid couples, long past the season 7 reunion. Below, read on for a breakdown of everything to know about Chelley and Ace's relationship, including whether the pair is still dating outside of the villa. What happened between Chelley and Ace on 'Love Island USA' season 7? Ace Greene, a 22-year-old dancer and content creator from L.A., arguably had a leg up upon entering the villa. Not only did he already have a million TikTok followers before joining the show, but he also met a familiar face on night one. He and Chelley Bissainthe, a 27-year-old day trader from Florida, had already met and had a casual online flirtation before they were both cast on season 7. (They've confirmed that they were contacted separately to join the show and were not dating before the series.) Despite having obvious chemistry, Chelley and Ace were very open to exploring other connections. Chelley was initially paired with Austin Shepard after Yulissa Escobar stole Ace from Chelley during the first night of coupling. (Yulissa was removed from the show in episode 2 due to resurfaced racist posts.) However, during the first recoupling, single Ace decided to couple up with eventual winner Amaya Espinal instead. not go well, as Ace clashed with Amaya Papaya's naturally touchy, lovey, too-pure-for-this-world personality. This established a pattern that kept up for most of the season, with Chelley and Ace continuing to check in and get to know each other even as they explored other connections. After Amaya, Ace had a brief flirtation with Iris Kendall, but most of his time was taken up with planning cute dates for Chelley (and on behalf of his bestie Taylor Williams) and conducting his campaign against Jeremiah Brown. Meanwhile, Chelley stayed coupled up with Austin—who was annoyed about his love triangle with Chelley and Ace despite putting the bare minimum effort in towards Chelley—for a while, and had a flirtation with Charlie Georgiou. Finally, in week 3, Ace chose to couple up with Chelley, and the exploring was Casa Amor. This year, each Islander had to couple up with someone entirely new during Casa; Chelley paired up with Chris Seeley, and Ace first chose Vanna Einerson, before he and CoCo Watson coupled up for the rest of Casa. When it was time to return to the main villa, both Chelley and CoCo chose to couple up with Ace (while the women were wearing matching yellow dresses and hair flowers), and Ace So, does the will-they-won't-they couple have smooth sailing from then on? Of course not, but this time it's Chelley exploring two connections. Chris had coupled up with Huda Mustafa post-Casa, and Ace and Chelley weren't closed off yet, so it was fair game. However, that tricky situation quickly came to a head with this year's Heart Rate challenge, where Chelley got mad at Huda and Ace (mostly Huda) for going too far while making out. Before Chelley and Ace can really get into the struggle of establishing boundaries when it comes to exploring other people, Chris quickly takes a step back from Chelley and decides to focus on Huda. From this point on (or you could argue that the Hate To Burst Your Bubble challenge was the pivotal moment), Chelley and Ace finally lock in. They discuss their childhoods and bond over similar experiences of growing up in poverty. They raise twins during the fake-baby challenge. Chelley organizes one of their cute dates for once! By the third-to-last episode of the season, they're spending the night in the Hideaway (which only two couples did this season!?) and having the exclusive talk. Unfortunately, as evidenced by the pair landing in the bottom three for all the Burst Your Bubble polls, public opinion was already set against them by the time they actually showed their compatibility. So, after they enjoyed Family Day, Chelley and Ace were dumped from the villa on season 7's penultimate episode. Are Ace and Chelley still together after 'Love Island USA' season 7? Like with Taylor and Clarke, Chelley and Ace left the villa as an exclusive couple and plan to continue their relationship after the show. The pair told outlets that they will be long-distance for a bit, but that Chelley does have plans to move to L.A., where Ace lives. "We are going to take our time day by day," Ace told Variety. "We are still getting to know each other outside of villa life. Life is completely different from what America gets to see. I'm excited to grow our relationship and improve our communication, especially since she's in Florida. I'm in L.A., but she's looking to move to L.A., and we'll go from there." Chelley added in an interview with Vulture, "Eventually, I am moving to L.A. That's something that's gonna happen. When exactly, that's still the question mark. But we're definitely gonna navigate long distance. With us being the intentional people that we are and knowing what we want, it's not gonna really be a challenge." Solve the daily Crossword
Yahoo
23-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
‘Love Island USA' Star Chelley's Team Addresses Claim She Had Secret Romance, Baby With Ace Pre-Show
Friends of Love Island USA star Michelle 'Chelley' Bissainthe have addressed growing speculation about her pre-show relationship status with Ace Green. 'We want to be transparent and clear the air as some of the rumors have gotten far from the truth,' a statement shared via Chelley's social media profiles read on Thursday, June 19. 'Chelley and Ace briefly crossed paths in New York and later connected on social media.' Chelley, 27, and Ace, 22, are currently coupled up on season 7 of Peacock's Love Island USA. While they did admit to briefly meeting before entering the villa, they downplayed a further connection. Fans, however, have circulated a series of unfounded rumors that Chelley and Ace are allegedly lying about their connection, claiming that they are secretly married with a baby outside of the show. 'Love Island USA' Week 2 Recap: Megan Thee Stallion Introduces 2 New Bombshells and More (Updating Daily) 'They were never in a relationship, never lived together and there are no children or hidden past,' Chelley's team statement added. 'What's unfolding now is real, unscripted and could change at any moment.' Her friends added, 'We're fully supporting Chelley, wherever her heart leads and with whomever she chooses to couple [up] with.' Neither Chelley nor Ace — who are currently in isolation in the Fiji villa — has further addressed the rumors. Upon Chelley's arrival on Love Island USA, she and Ace told host Ariana Madix that they briefly crossed paths before walking into the villa. The model explained that they met outside a club in Los Angeles at the start of the year. Since then, they exchanged occasional DMs on social media but made it clear that their bond was never anything serious. Ace was first partnered with Amaya Espinal, who was stolen by Austin Shepard during the recent recoupling held behind closed doors. After getting to know both Chelley and bombshell Iris Kendall, he opted to choose Chelley. Every Theory on Why Love Island USA's Ace Chose to Save Huda From Elimination After Jeremiah Drama 'I really like Chelley because she's challenged me and help me let down my walls, be vulnerable and she's helped me be a better person here in this villa,' Ace said in his recoupling speech, which aired on Peacock earlier this week. 'She's challenged me to be creative and step outside of the box, and that's something that doesn't come often for me.' He added, 'She's gorgeous. Every time she walks those stars, no matter who she's with, she lights up the room. I'm just excited to get to know her every day.' After opening up Chelley's door handle, they shared a sweet kiss while their fellow Islanders cheered. 'I'm feeling great [and] I'm feeling like [it's] about time,' Chelley quipped afterward. 'Like, it was a lot of emotions and processing. I'm actually really happy.' Love Island USA airs daily — except for Wednesdays — on Peacock.
