LOVE Island USA star Bell-A Walker has broken her silence on Cierra Ortega’s racist post.
The 22-year-old reality star, who is Hawaiian, told fans she was initially “incredibly heartbroken” when she learned Cierra had once written a racial slur widely considered to be hateful toward Asians.
Bell-A said she supported the Love Island USA producers for “taking a stand” and “making it clear that racism of any kind is not tolerated” after Cierra exited the villa last night.
“As a proud Asian American woman, I’m deeply appreciative of the producers for taking a stand and making it clear that racism of any kind is not tolerated,” began Bell-A, who was the first cast member to leave the villa.
“When I first saw what my fellow Islander said on their social media pages, I was incredibly heartbroken.
“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.
“Asian hate is overtimes 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 held shed light on how big of an issue anti-Asian hate actually is.”
Bell-A went on to reveal her mother immigrated to the US for a “better life,” and she wants to “amplify the voices” of her community with her new fame.
CIERRA’S FAMILY SPEAKS OUT
While Cierra, 25, has yet to personally address the scandal, her parents broke their silence in a post to their daughter’s Instagram page on Sunday.
“As Cierra’s parents, this has been one of the most painful weeks of our lives,” they said, before going on to slam the messages they were receiving from Love Island USA fans.
“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. 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.”
They continued to ask fans for “compassion” and “patience” as they navigate the scandal’s aftermath.
CIERRA’S EXIT
As The U.S. Sun reported, Cierra left Love Island USA ahead of Sunday’s episode.
Narrator Iain Stirling said: “Cierra has left the villa due to a personal situation.”
According to The U.S. Sun’s source, producers held crisis meetings to decide whether or not to fire Cierra last week.
"Cierra is in deep trouble, that is for sure. This kind of word is unacceptable. It was a huge disappointment when we saw it. Everyone is very, very bothered and pissed about that,” the insider said.
"We will hold a meeting to decide what we should do… but it doesn't look great at all for Cierra as a lot of us want to take her out of the show as soon as possible.”
Yulissa Escobar, 27, was previously kicked off the show after just one episode when videos resurfaced of the star using a racial slur.
