Drama has already hit the “Love Island” villa—and the first episode hasn’t even aired yet! According to multiple outlets, Vasana Montgomery, a planned OG, has been booted from the series before the premiere. Montgomery’s removal from the program comes after two videos of her appearing to say the N-word in them resurfaced. It’s not the first time “Love Island” has punished a cast member over something like this. Last year, two cast members were removed from the show for similar reasons.
‘Love Island’ Removes New Cast Member Before The Series Premiere Over Past Use Of Racial Slur
Montgomery, 25, was announced as one of the main women to enter the “Love Island” villa for season 8. However, her dream of finding love on national TV has already come to an end.
Us Weekly confirmed that the hopeful reality TV star has been booted from the show over her past use of the N-word.
Videos of the woman appeared online, one of which shows her reportedly rapping along to a song and using the slur. In the other video, Montgomery appears to say, “Knock knock n—a,” while playing an arcade game.
‘Love Island’ Producers Learned Of The Videos After Montgomery Was Revealed As Part Of The Cast
Social media users questioned why “Love Island” producers hadn’t caught Montgomery’s past videos before. However, a source confirmed to Us Weekly that the clips were privately owned, meaning someone leaked the videos after Montgomery was revealed as part of the cast.
Before her removal, Montgomery was featured in the “Love Island” promotional materials. In the trailer, the Oregon native shared what she’d bring to the series.
“I think I am the full package,” she said. “I own a business; I live alone; I have a dog. If you were to ask my friends what my type is, they’d show you the world map.”
‘Love Island’ Has Had To Deal With This Before
This isn’t the first time something like this has happened on “Love Island.” Just last year, one of the show’s fan favorites, Cierra Ortega, was removed from the show after a video of her using a racial slur was shared online.
While Peacock and the “Love Island” production team chose not to comment on Ortega’s removal from the show, her parents released a statement on their daughter’s behalf, saying she wasn’t the type of person the public had painted her to be.
“We’re not here to justify or ignore what’s surfaced. We understand why people are upset, and we know accountability matters. But what’s happening online right now has gone far beyond that,” they wrote, adding that the “threats” had taken things to a new level.
“… we know our daughter. We know her heart. And when she returns, we believe she’ll face this with honesty, growth, and grace,” they added. “Until then, we’re simply asking for compassion. For patience. For basic human decency.”
Another Islander Was Removed For Using Racial Slurs In The Past
Before that, Yulissa Escobar, another “Love Island” season 7 contestant, was also axed from the series after videos of her saying the N-word went viral.
“First, I want to apologize for using a word I had no right in using,” she said about the videos, according to PEOPLE. “Podcast clips from years ago have recently resurfaced, and I want to address it directly.”
Escobar went on to say that she had no right to use the word she did, calling her actions “ignorant.”
“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,” she added.
A Pennsylvania Mayor Makes Headlines After Slamming Ex-Cop
The drama doesn’t stop there. According to a previous report from The Blast, a Pennsylvania mayor, J. William Reynolds, made headlines after slamming an ex-cop who left his post to film the show’s newest season.
“Our police department spent a lot of time training and we paid thousands of taxpayer dollars to send him to the police academy. We are disappointed he left as we now have another vacancy in our department that is impossible to fill until next year,” Williams said. “I never thought I’d see the day in America where reality show participation wins out over being a police officer.”
Williams was referring to Sean Reifel, a 29-year-old from Easton, Pennsylvania, who is looking for love on season 8.
“I’m not a model, not an actor, I’m a police officer actually,” Reifel said in the show’s promotional clips. “You could be having the worst day of your life, and I’ll just help you sift through that.”
“Love Island” premieres on Tuesday, June 2, at 9 PM EST on Peacock.