Love Island USA is heading into Season 8 with a last-minute cast shakeup.
Vasana Montgomery, a 25-year-old contestant from Beaverton, Oregon, has been removed from the upcoming season of the Peacock dating series after videos resurfaced showing her using a racial slur. Deadline confirmed that Montgomery will no longer appear on the show.
According to a Peacock spokesperson, the videos were privately owned and did not become public until after Montgomery had been announced as part of the Season 8 cast, meaning they were not available during the vetting process.
Unfortunately for the franchise, it’s a situation that feels all too familiar.
The show’s seventh season was also marred by multiple controversies involving contestants’ past use of racist language. In June 2025, Yulissa Escobar exited the villa just one day after the season premiere after online backlash erupted over a clip in which she repeatedly used the N-word. Her departure was acknowledged midway through the season’s second episode with a brief statement from the show.
Escobar later apologized, though she has since shared social media posts that appeared to minimize the incident.
Then, just weeks later, viewers witnessed a similar controversy unfold when fellow islander Cierra Ortega was removed from the series after an offensive racial slur targeting Asians resurfaced online. At the time, narrator Iain Stirling informed viewers that Ortega had left the villa “due to a personal situation.”
Days later, Ortega addressed the backlash in a video statement that she specifically described as an accountability video rather than an apology.
“This is an accountability video. I do want to hold my hands up and say that I take accountability for using the word, but I do want it to be known that I genuinely had no idea that it was a slur. I had no idea of its meaning,” she said.
The latest controversy arrives just days after the official Love Island USA Instagram account shared a message encouraging viewers to show kindness to the incoming cast, urging fans to “keep it kind, keep it positive” ahead of the new season.
With Montgomery no longer participating, the islanders entering the villa include Aniya Harvey, Beatriz Hatz, Bryce Dettloff, Gabriel Vasconcelos, KC Chandler, Kenzie Annis, Melanie Moreno, Sean Reifel, Sincere Rhea, Trinity Tatum and Zach Georgiou.
Hosted by Ariana Madix, Love Island USA returns Monday, June 2, at 9 p.m. ET / 6 p.m. PT. New episodes will stream daily during premiere week before shifting to a schedule that excludes Wednesdays.
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