Many organizations claim not to tolerate racism or gender biases, but few eradicate the issue as quickly as Love Island USA. When TMZ exposed a previous podcast interview with Yulissa Escobar using the N-word in two separate podcast videos, the reality show’s production company, ITV America, acted swiftly. When the narrator welcomed viewers back to the series in the second episode, viewers heard four simple words: “Yulissa has left the villa.”
Yulissa was allegedly in Fiji filming with the rest of the cast when clips of Yulissa using the N-word about a previous romantic relationship surfaced online. Love Island fans immediately began tweeting and posting their disdain for Yulissa’s blatant disrespect, vowing to get her voted off the island as quickly as possible. Her friends jumped to her defense by attempting to shame the social media critics. Yulissa’s longtime friend Maria was quoted clapping back in a comment saying, “y’all act like you never said the N word before, stop being so f***ing sensitive.”
Erica Mena Was Released from ‘Love & Hip Hop’ For a Similar Reason
Since 2020, other networks like VH1 and MTV have struggled to find the correct response to racist commentary, but Peacock had an immediate response which should garner appreciation and trust from their audience. Fans of the series offered their support for the decision on social media, thankful to the media giant for the clear message against any form of hate speech. With almost 30% of Peacock’s demographic being in the 25-34 age range, the streaming giant understands the need to respond succinctly to public outrage before the backlash ends up affecting the platform and its other projects. NBCUniversal and Group Black have partnered to create a collection of black-led diverse content on Peacock, aiming to connect with multicultural audiences and advertisers.
This initiative proves the streaming service is making an intentional effort to engage Black and diverse audiences. Two years ago, Big Brother was forced to evict Luke Valentine after a LIVE feed aired with him using the N-word. Luke denied the allegations, but CBS chose to air on the side of safety and removed the problem early. In 2023, VH1 was forced to fire Erica Mena from Love & Hip Hop Atlanta after she made a racist slur against her cast mate Spice. The decision wasn’t quick enough for fans, who were extremely critical of the process and wanted Erica fired immediately. Although VH1 attempted to right the situation by hosting a conversation on race led by members of the cast, it still left a bad taste in fans’ mouths because even a few days of speculation is too much when fans are commenting on social media in real time.
Love Island Is Built Around Sexy Fun But Yulissa Brought Heaviness and Negativity
Love Island USA viewers let producers know in no uncertain terms would they tolerate Yulissa remaining on the show without being chastised. Fans felt like it was within their ability to kick Yulissa off the show because of her racist comments. Kristin McGhee tweeted, ‘My friend is downloading the app just to vote them off.” Another social media user named Jayla posted, ‘I don’t know what they are doing, but as soon as they open these votes open, I’m voting them out in a heartbeat.”
Unlike Luke and Erica, Yulissa didn’t have any fans supporting her or fighting on her behalf. She’s received a lot of criticism over her vocal support of President Donald Trump. This latest scandal appears to be the straw that broke the camel’s back with the audience’s patience with Yulissa. Alex, another social media fan, tweeted, ‘I kinda love the fact that they are oblivious to the fact that the entirety of North America is itching to vote her off.” Unfortunately, Yulissa’s situation is a stark reminder that reality fans can often be instrumental in a network’s decision-making when it comes to securing one’s place on a reality show.
Love Island is committed to sexy beach fun and not much else as twenty-something attractive singles attempt to find hot connections with the public voting on their favorite couples. Fans have the ability to vote contestants off based on their likability or their inability to find a solid connection. Before Yulissa’s inappropriate comments, she was connected to 22-year-old Ace Greene. As the episode aired, the connection dissolved just as quickly as it materialized. It’s unlikely that Ace will have any trouble replacing Yulissa as there are ample sexy bikini-clad single ladies ready, willing and able to take Yulissa’s spot.
