Belle-A Walker Comments on Cierra Ortega’s Abrupt ‘Love Island’ Departure Over Racial Slurs

In the world of television, practically nothing has captured audiences more than the seventh season of the massively popular reality series Love Island. With its jaw-dropping twists, turns, unexpected couplings, and shocking exits, this season is must-see TV. However, things recently took a very serious turn when cast member Cierra Ortega was removed from the villa after her past usage of racial slurs came to light, and fellow cast member Belle-A Walker took to social media to give her take on things.

At the beginning of the second episode of the season, Yulissa Escobar was removed from the villa in the middle of the night after fans found an interview where she repeatedly used the N-word. Fast forward five weeks later and the same fate happened to Cierra, whose past usage of slurs against the Asian community also got her booted.

If you have been following the social media commentary surrounding the show, you were likely not surprised that Cierra was pulled from the show, as the backlash against her was massive and fans were loudly telling producers to remove her. While the remaining Islanders in the villa can’t comment on Cierra’s departure, those who were voted off can, such as Belle-A, who was eliminated in week one.

In a lengthy post to her Instagram Stories, Belle-A, who is a member of the Asian community, shared her thoughts on Cierra’s removal from the show, essentially saying that she would no longer support her. “As a proud Asian American woman, I’m deeply appreciative of the Love Island USA producers for taking a stand and making it clear that racism of any kind is not tolerated,” she began her post.

“When I first saw what my fellow Islander said on their social media pages, I was incredibly heartbroken,” she continued. “But I wanted to wait until they left the villa and were able to address the situation, genuinely apologize, and commit to learning from the experience before deciding how our relationship would look moving forward.”

“As screenshots continued to surface, it became clear that I could no longer support this person, and made the decision to unfollow them a couple of days ago,” Belle-A wrote. “Asian hate is oftentimes overlooked and dismissed. But being a first-generation American, I have personally witnessed and experienced how real and hurtful comments like these are. It is my hope that this situation can help shed light on how big of an issue anti-Asian hate actually is.”

As of now, Cierra has not addressed her departure from the show. However, her parents posted a message to Cierra’s Instagram Story asking for compassion after her prior usage of racial slurs led to her being removed.

"As Cierra's parents, this has been one of the most painful weeks of our lives," the message began. "We've seen the posts, the headlines, the hurt, and the hate. And while Cierra hasn't seen any of it yet, we have. And so have the people who love her."

"We're not here to justify or ignore what's surfaced," the message continued. "We understand why people are upset, and we know accountability matters. But what's happening online right now has gone far beyond that. The threats. The cruel messages. The attacks on her family, her friends, even her supporters, it's heartbreaking. It's uncalled for. And no one deserves that kind of hate, no matter what mistake they've made."

"While Cierra is not in the villa anymore, she is still away,” the message read. “She hasn't had the chance to process any of this or speak for herself. But we know our daughter. We know her heart. And when she returns, we believe she'll face this with honesty, growth, and grace."

"While she'll always be our little girl, she's also a woman, one who will take responsibility in her own time and her own voice," the message said. "Until then, we're simply asking for compassion. For patience. For basic human decency. Not just for her, but for everyone caught in the middle of this. Thank you to those who've continued to show love, even when it's not easy."