Cierra Ortega’s ‘Love Island USA' Controversy Could Also Affect Her Job Security

On shows like Love Island, a contestant can go from a fave to a foe in a matter of a few days, ask Cierra Ortega. Cierra entered the villa on Love Island USA Season 7 as someone fans were eager to know more about. However, once an old Instagram Story of her saying the "c-word," a racial slur targeted at the Asian community, surfaced, the same supporters were ready to show her the door. Love Island producers followed fans' lead on a Sunday, July 6, 2025 episode.

During the episode, narrator Iain Stirling announced Cierra left the series early “due to a personal situation." Now that most fans know what the "personal matter" was, or at least have an idea of what led to her departure, many viewers now believe she could be out of a day job now, too. Here's the scoop on Cierra's job controversy.

While Cierra gained a following as a content creator before appearing on Love Island, the Los Angeles, Calif., native had multiple gigs that kept her afloat. According to her LinkedIn account, one of them was a position as a Creator Partnerships Executive at a company called Passes. Passes, a company founded by Lucy Guo, was established in 2022 to enable creators to generate multiple sources of income through their audience.

Cierra wrote on her LinkedIn that her role requires "establishing strong relationships with creators, understanding their needs, and providing them with the guidance and support they require to thrive in the digital content space." Following her exit, several fans addressed her job and why she may not have one after her old Instagram posts came out.

One Love Island watcher, @sweetiebrownieee, noted in a TikTok that Cierra's company's CEO, Lucy Guo, is Chinese American. Lucy shared in a feature for Gaingels that she was raised by Chinese immigrants who were "very very strict" and encouraged her to do well in school. She contributed her parents' work ethic to her launching Passes and her other company, Scale AI.

"She not only looks so bad on TV, but the fact that she said that, considering her employer's founder is Asian American, girl, do not s--t where you eat," @sweetiebrownieee said of Cierra in her TikTok. "So she got kicked out of the villa, and she's probably going to lose her job as well."

Passes didn't immediately address Cierra's Instagram Story slur nor her Love Island departure. As of this writing, the reality TV contestant remains employed by the company, a position she's held since February 2024. However, as several commenters noted in @sweetiebrownieee's post, the company has also had its sour moments.

According to Inc., Passes faced legal trouble after Lucy was accused of distributing child pornography. The lawsuit that was filed in federal court in February 2025 stated that the founder and two other defendants knowingly disseminated and sought to profit from the distribution of pornographic content of minors on the Passes platform. The suit claimed that Passes also "expressly marketed to and allowed for Creators between 15 to 17 years old to join,” and allegedly encouraged OnlyFans model Alice Rosenblum to join the platform when she was 17.

Passes has denied condoning any of the allegations in the lawsuit, stating in a press release, "Any claim that Passes approved or condoned the posting of explicit content from any user, particularly a minor, on its platform is categorically false and recklessly disregards the truth." The company also denied the allegations on its website, stating that its leaders believe the allegations were "ultimately part of a broader smear campaign."

Cierra was still working at Passes during its controversy.

Catch new episodes of Love Island USA daily (except for Wednesdays) at 9 p.m. EST on Peacock.