What Is the Austin Shepard 'Love Island USA' Controversy? Fans Want Him Out, and We Know Why
People want to vote him off of the show following the June 3 premiere.
Published June 4 2025, 2:53 p.m. ET
People want to know what the Austin Shepard Love Island USA controversy is following the Season 7 premiere of the reality show on June 3. The show airs on Peacock, and fans already want to vote him off the show, as well as co-star Yulissa Escobar.
The two reality stars have already angered fans of the show due to their incendiary remarks on social media and in podcasts. So, what exactly is the Austin Shepard Love Island USA controversy? And why is Yulissa Escobar also the subject of angered fans? We have the answers.
What is the Austin Shepard 'Love-Island USA' controversy?
Season 7 of Love Island USA just began, but fans already want to vote Austin Shepard off the show. It would seem that the Michigan native said some things on social media that have people saying, "No, thank you."
According to Style Caster, Austin said some things that caught the ire of fans and led him to delete his TikTok account. He is reportedly a Trump supporter who made some racist and transphobic comments on the platform.
One TikTok creator said he's voting Austin off the show "the first chance" he gets.
"Um, we're voting homeboy off the first chance we can get," he said. "Cuz, what do you mean I just went on his TikTok, looked at his repost. I was there all of three minutes, and I already saw, 'Transgenders are pretending,' that, 'Kamala Harris lied about being Black and she's only Indian,' and then, he had a repost saying that the only high-populated crime areas are high-populated Black areas because they don't have fathers.'"
The TikToker went on to say, "I'm about to turn this s--t into a Baddies episode real quick. Get him off the screen. He ain't even on it yet! Get him off!"
What did Yulissa Escobar say?
Fans are also not thrilled with the racist comments made by Love Island USA star Yulissa Escobar. According to TMZ, the reality star is also a Trump supporter who used the n-word repeatedly during a podcast while talking about an ex.
"You f--k my [n-word]? Perfect. But now I’m f--king my [n-word]. He’s my [n-word],” she said. Yulissa reportedly said the racial slur on two separate podcasts, and fans are not here for it.
One X (formerly Twitter) user was not pleased that Yulissa thought she could say the n-word because she dated a Black man.
"Oh, so I guess Yulissa thought she could carry on the way that she did on that podcast because she was that man’s lover and secretary working every day of the week. She could’ve kept all that ire and those n-words and broke up with him after year four."
Another fan wrote, "So apparently that Yulissa chick was on a podcast throwing around the n-word a bunch, and when called out was not at all sorry. Ya homegirl needs to go NOW."
The cast of Love Island USA also includes Huda Mustafa, Belle-A Walker, Chelley Bissainthe, Olandria Carthen, Nicolas Vansteenberghe, Taylor Williams, Ace Greene, and Jeremiah Brown.