Latest news with #YulissaEscobar
USA Today
an hour ago
- Entertainment
- USA Today
'Love Island USA' star Yulissa Escobar apologizes after sudden exit over racial slur
'Love Island USA' star Yulissa Escobar apologizes after sudden exit over racial slur Show Caption Hide Caption 'Love Island USA' host Ariana Madix on if she watches 'The Valley' "Love Island USA" host Ariana Madix explains to USA TODAY's Ralphie Aversa what it would take to get her back on Bravo reality TV show. Days after Yulissa Escobar unceremoniously left the "Love Island USA" villa, she has issued an apology for the online controversy that preceded her sudden departure. Before the show's seventh season premiered June 3, fans of the show were in an uproar over resurfaced clips of her using a racial epithet on a podcast. But the 27-year-old Miami businesswoman had presumably already lost access to her phone during production in Fiji. Her exit was briefly mentioned in voiceover narration during the second episode on June 4. Now off the Peacock show, Escobar has addressed the social-media frenzy over her resurfaced comments. "First, I want to apologize for using a word I had no right in using. Podcast clips from years ago have recently resurfaced, and I want to address it directly," Escobar wrote in the caption of a June 6 Instagram post. "In those clips, I used a word I never should've used, a racial slur. I used it ignorantly, not fully understanding the weight, history, or pain behind it. I wasn't trying to be offensive or harmful, but I recognize now that intention doesn't excuse impact. And the impact of that word is real. It's tied to generations of trauma, and it is not mine to use." Escobar continued to explain, "I was speaking casually in conversation, not thinking deeply or critically about what I was saying. But that doesn't take away from how wrong it was. The truth is, I didn't know better then, but I do now. I've taken the time to reflect, to learn, and to grow from that moment." She said she has "changed a lot since then" and acknowledged, "Growth means recognizing when you were wrong, even if it's uncomfortable, and choosing to move forward with humility and accountability." She denounced statements from others that "don't reflect me or my heart" and shared, "I'm choosing to speak for myself because I take full ownership of my actions." Escobar ended the post with contrition, writing, "To those who are disappointed or offended, I understand and I apologize. I am sorry." Peacock has not responded to USA TODAY's request for comment on Escobar's departure. The show's only on-air acknowledgement that Escobar was no longer on the show was Iain Stirling mentioning around 20 minutes into Episode 2, "Yulissa has left the villa." 'Love Island USA' complete guide: New to the show? Here's the must-know terminology Which contestants have been kicked off 'Love Island?' Over the years, a few Islanders have unceremoniously disappeared from the show, only to later emerge on social media with claims as to why they were no longer on screen. The show seldom issues an explanation through official channels. Some of these contestants who suddenly stopped appearing on the reality show included Season 2's Noah Purvis, Season 3's Leslie Golden and Season 4's Kyle Fraser. There have also been emotional departures over the previous six seasons, such as when Day 1 islander Josh Goldstein left the villa with then-partner Shannon St. Claire after his sister died. How to watch 'Love Island USA' New episodes of Love Island USA stream Thursday through Tuesday at 9 p.m. E.T. on Peacock.
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Rachel Zoe To Join ‘The Real Housewives Of Beverly Hills' Season 15 Cast In Return To Bravo
Rachel Zoe is set to join the cast of The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills Season 15 in her return to Bravo. The stylist is the newest addition to RHOBH in the long-running reality series. More from Deadline Bravo's 'The Real Housewives': Every Single Cast Photo In Franchise History 'Love Island USA's Yulissa Escobar Apologizes For Using Racial Slur After Being Dumped From The Villa: "Growth Means Recognizing When You Were Wrong" Bravo-Verse Heats Up As 'Summer House' Season 9 Eyes Record Series Viewership & 'The Valley' Season 2 Starts Strong Zoe is not a new personality to Bravo as she starred in The Rachel Zoe Project for five seasons on the network. The reality series premiered in 2008 and ended in 2013 after 38 episodes. More to come… Best of Deadline 2025 TV Series Renewals: Photo Gallery 2025 TV Cancellations: Photo Gallery 'Stick' Soundtrack: All The Songs You'll Hear In The Apple TV+ Golf Series
Yahoo
3 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Rachel Zoe To Join ‘The Real Housewives Of Beverly Hills' Season 15 Cast In Return To Bravo
Rachel Zoe is set to join the cast of The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills Season 15 in her return to Bravo. The stylist is the newest addition to RHOBH in the long-running reality series. More from Deadline Bravo's 'The Real Housewives': Every Single Cast Photo In Franchise History 'Love Island USA's Yulissa Escobar Apologizes For Using Racial Slur After Being Dumped From The Villa: "Growth Means Recognizing When You Were Wrong" Bravo-Verse Heats Up As 'Summer House' Season 9 Eyes Record Series Viewership & 'The Valley' Season 2 Starts Strong Zoe is not a new personality to Bravo as she starred in The Rachel Zoe Project for five seasons on the network. The reality series premiered in 2008 and ended in 2013 after 38 episodes. More to come… Best of Deadline 2025 TV Series Renewals: Photo Gallery 2025 TV Cancellations: Photo Gallery 'Stick' Soundtrack: All The Songs You'll Hear In The Apple TV+ Golf Series
Daily Mail
3 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
BREAKING NEWS Love Island USA cast member breaks silence after being kicked off show due to past racist slurs
Axed Love Island USA contestant Yulissa Escobar has broken her silence after being removed from the show over her past use of racist slurs. Escobar, 27, was released from the reality TV show off camera during only the second episode, before the rest of the contestants woke up for the day. Clips of Escobar using the N-word while discussing ex-boyfriends surfaced on Reddit and fans were irate, commenting on her Instagram that they would vote her off at the first opportunity. Now Escobar has taken to Instagram to apologize for using the slurs in a post captioned: 'Owning my mistakes, speaking my truth.' She wrote: 'First, I want to apologize for using a word I had no right in using. 'Podcast clips from years ago have recently resurfaced, and I want to address it directly. 'In those clips, I used a word I never should've used, a racial slur. I used it ignorantly, not fully understanding the weight, history, or pain behind it. I wasn't trying to be offensive or harmful, but I recognize now that intention doesn't excuse impact. And the impact of that word is real. It's tied to generations of trauma, and it is not mine to use. 'At the time, I was speaking casually in conversation, not thinking deeply or critically about what I was saying. But that doesn't take away from how wrong it was. The truth is, I didn't know better then, but I do now. I've taken the time to reflect, to learn, and to grow from that moment. 'I've changed a lot since then, not just in how I speak, but in how I show up, how I carry myself, and how I honor the experiences of others. Growth means recognizing when you were wrong, even if it's uncomfortable, and choosing to move forward with humility and accountability. 'There have also been fake statements circulating, things written or said by others that don't reflect me or my heart. I want to clarify that this is my voice and my words. I don't need anyone to speak for me. I'm choosing to speak for myself because I take full ownership of my actions. Do not listen to the fake statements. This is my official statement. This is me, speaking directly to you. 'To those who are disappointed or offended, I understand and I apologize. 'I am sorry. As the islanders were waking up, the narrator of the show Iain Stirling announced: 'Yulissa has left the villa.' Yulissa was paired up with Ace Greene who is now single following her exit. One comment on the Reddit thread pointed out: 'How [the f***] did producers let this slide? They for SURE saw this.' Another user replied: 'Yeah, if people on this sub can find this in a few days, casting should have DEFINITELY found this. So either they're not looking into people enough or they're choosing to let this stuff slide. Not sure which is worse.' The remaining season seven Islanders include: Chelley Bissainthe, Huda Mustafa, Belle-A Walker, Olandria Carthen, Greene, and Taylor Williams. The comments on Yulissa's Instagram will be a surprise to her when she gets back from Fiji. ''yulissa has left the villa' LMFAOOOO,' one fan wrote, while another expressed,' WE WON SHES GONE!' The strong reaction continued in that theme, with someone else saying: 'Love Island stood on business and I love that.' Just a day before her exit, the budding reality star had been happily promoting the show on her Instagram. In one post, she wrote, 'It's my unapologetic year! And I'm choosing me, every time. Loud, soft, sweet, savage—whatever I feel like being.' In other Love Island-related posts, Yulissa shilled for votes to stay in the Villa. 'Say hello to your newest official islander on Love Island USA Season 7. Straight from Miami and headed to the villa! She's all about kindness, connection, and staying true to who she is,' one post was captioned 'We can't wait for you to get to know her heart, her humor, and everything in between. Make sure you download love island app to vote for Yulissa!' 'Can she see these comments?? Or not yet cause she in the island? Honestly IDC but how hilarious when she comes out thinking she got all these fans but she's getting cancelled,' one person commented on that post. Yulissa isn't the only Love Island USA contestant to face controversy. Season 7 contestant Austin Shepard has faced controversy for liking TikTok content supporting Donald Trump. Unlike Yulissa, Austin has remained in the villa. The remaining female contestants in the villa include Chelley Bissainthe, Huda Mustafa, Belle-A Walker, and Olandria Carthen. The guys vying for love are Ace Greene, Taylor Williams, Nicolas Vansteenberghe and Jeremiah Brown. The show also introduced two early bombshells: Cierra Ortega and Charlie Georgiou. Bombshells are a new Islander who enters the villa with the intention of potentially disrupting existing relationships and forming new ones. "Islanders will couple up to face brand new heart-racing challenges and bigger twists and turns than ever before,' the show's logline reads. The contestants are also vying for a $100,000 prized. On Love Island USA, a spinoff of Love Island UK, singles live together in a villa for about two months and couple up with the islander they are most attracted to.
Los Angeles Times
6 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Los Angeles Times
Take a trip to ‘Love Island USA' with Ariana Madix this weekend
Welcome to Screen Gab, the newsletter for everyone who was pretending they didn't care about the 'Love Island USA' delay on Peacock so it would load faster. This week's Season 7 premiere of the reality TV dating show arrived over 40 minutes past its scheduled launch time, causing eager fans who planned their dinners accordingly to crash out on social media about the delay — but, hey, absence makes the heart grow fonder, right? (Speaking of absences, Yulissa Escobar is already gone.) 'Vanderpump Rules' alum Ariana Madix, who returns as host, stopped by Guest Spot to talk about the series that brings together a group of single people (known as islanders) into one villa for a messy and drama-filled chance at love (and money). Also in this week's Screen Gab, our streaming recommendations include a PBS documentary about a Harvard dropout who, over half a century ago, revolutionized the way people instantly chronicle their lives with his invention of the Polaroid camera, and a British competition series that's become a bit of a phenomenon by having comedians competing against each other in bizarre challenges. Must-read stories you might have missed Dakota Johnson and director Celine Song rethink the rom-com with 'Materialists': The duo explore contemporary, clear-eyed attitudes toward relationships in their new film, Song's follow-up to 'Past Lives.' Mark Hamill starred in the ultimate battle of good and evil. Now he just wants to make America normal again: After nearly five decades as Luke Skywalker, the actor opens up about finding new purpose in Mike Flanagan's 'The Life of Chuck,' speaking out against Trump and rebuilding after the Malibu wildfires. 'Phineas and Ferb' returns after 10 years with a new season and more musical moments: The popular Disney animated series is back after a decade with its main voice cast, more musical numbers and guest stars including Alan Cumming, Michael Bublé and Megan Rapinoe. 'The biggest mistake of my life': 6 actors on typecasting, comedy idols and more: Nathan Lane recalls the Friars Club Roast from hell, Kate Hudson opens up about needing to fight for roles beyond the rom-com and more tales from The Envelope Comedy Roundtable. Recommendations from the film and TV experts at The Times 'Mr. Polaroid' ( The story of inventor Edwin Land — scrap metal dealer's son, Harvard dropout — and the transformative social power of his famous instant camera is told in this 'American Experience' documentary. You may remember the Swinger, a '60s mass market youth accessory, or even the older models that needed a fixative rub, but certainly you have experienced the full-color perfection of the classic SX-70. 'Mr. Polaroid' captures the magic of the analog image developing in your hand as opposed to the mundanity of digital pictures in thousands on your cell phone — a thing to gather around, put in an album, stick on a refrigerator — and the vision (and myopia) of an obsessive leader whose invention he hoped 'you would use as often as your pencil or your eyeglasses,' and would somehow draw humanity closer together. ('Polaroid is on its way to lead the world,' he declared in a letter to his troops, 'perhaps even to save it.') Land hired women in important research positions when that was rarely done and, after the death of Martin Luther King Jr., resolved to bring more Black employees into Polaroid, but he would also work with the CIA and license (then retract) technology to apartheid South Africa — so, a complicated person. But using his cameras was simplicity itself. — Robert Lloyd 'Taskmaster' (YouTube, Pluto TV) Imagine 'The Great British Bake Off' with fangs. That's the appeal of 'Taskmaster,' a truly singular British comedy competition series in which pompous tyrant Greg Davies and his fastidious minion Alex Horne (who is also the show's creator) sit in gilded thrones and order five comedians to do the impossible, the ingenious and the hilariously annoying. The first episode of Season 1 kicked off with the challenges: paint a horse while riding a horse, empty a bathtub without pulling the plug or tipping it over, and eat as much watermelon as possible. Expect giggling and protestations as the frustrated comics have the best worst time of their lives. Now in Season 19, for the first time an American performer — Jason Mantzoukas — has flown across the Atlantic to be publicly roasted. Challenged to bring in his snootiest item, Mantzoukas admitted that 'in America, snootiness is not really a thing.' So he hired a fake butler. He's making us Yanks proud. — Amy Nicholson A weekly chat with actors, writers, directors and more about what they're working on — and what they're watching 'Love Island USA' kicked off its seventh season this week on Peacock, which can only mean one thing: A summer of diabolical choices sure to take over timelines six nights a week has officially begun. A spinoff of the U.K. reality dating series, the U.S. iteration is set on the island of Fiji and brings together 10 singles in a villa under constant video surveillance with a goal of coupling up. Over the course of the series, in between competing in kooky challenges and going on dates, new islanders are brought in and contestants may re-couple at their discretion — those not paired up are in danger of elimination. The last-standing couple leaves with a $100,000 cash prize. It's not exactly the storybook backdrop for forming long-lasting relationships, but the realities of modern dating are hardly any better. After making her hosting debut last season, Ariana Madix, the 'Vanderpump Rules' alum and Scandoval survivor who has spun her reality TV stardom into a booming career beyond the Bravo universe, is back to oversee the shenanigans. Madix stopped by Guest Spot to tell us which contestant she's watching out for this season and which workplace comedies she finds comfort in. —Yvonne Villarreal As someone who has had the highs and lows of a relationship documented on a reality show, what's your best advice for someone looking for love on TV today? I've never been on a television program to find love, [or] make a romantic connection, so I'm not sure I'm the best to give advice … but my advice for anyone entering the world of reality television regardless of the reason is to enter with authenticity and vulnerability. Let yourself be open to the opportunities that the circumstances bring. Is hosting the level of involvement you want to have with reality TV at this point in your life and career or could you see yourself letting cameras document your life again? I think for me to be on reality television in the sort of role where I am putting myself out there, I would want to be in charge. I would want to be executive producer and I would probably fight for that in any capacity to be back in that space. Which islanders do you think will do well this year? I have a great feeling about Olandria [Carthen]. She's stunning, sexy, full of personality and knows exactly what she wants. What have you watched recently that you're recommending to everyone you know? For a while I was telling everyone I knew about 'Sweet Home' [Netflix]. It had me on the edge of my seat and I became so connected to the characters. I cried so hard at the end and I never would have expected to be crying over a show about monsters. What's your go-to comfort watch, the film or TV show you return to again and again? 'The Office' or 'Parks and Rec' [both on Peacock]. I can put them on to fall asleep and whenever I wake up, I can jump back in and have a laugh with my favorite TV characters. There are no bad seasons.
