‘Love Island USA’ Drops Islander Ahead of Season 8 Premiere After Alleged Use of N-Word

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Days before Love Island USA is set to kick off its eighth season, islander Vasana Montgomery has been pulled from the cast after social media posts emerged of her using the N-word.

Montgomery, a business owner from Beaverton, Oregon, has been dropped from the cast, The Hollywood Reporter has confirmed. Her removal from the cast comes a few days after the initial slate of season eight islanders was announced on Thursday, and following its seventh season which also saw the removal of two cast members from the show for past use of racial slurs.

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Yulissa Escobar was an original cast member on Love Island USA season seven. After she entered the villa, clips of her using the N-word resurfaced online, and she was pulled from the show. Roughly a month later, Cierra Ortega was also removed from the villa after receiving backlash for a social media post that showed her using a racial slur.

THR understands that the videos that surfaced online appear to be privately owned and not shared publicly until after the season eight cast was announced, meaning they would not have been accessible for prior vetting. Following the cast reveal, two videos of Montgomery using the N-word surfaced online, prompting instant backlash.

It’s unclear if Montgomery had already entered the Love Island USA villa and began filming for season eight.

Despite facing some controversy with its seventh season that aired during the summer of 2025, the show became the Peacock’s most-watched original series, with season seven accounting for 18.4 billion minutes of watch time over its six-week run. Amaya Espinal and Bryan Arenales were ultimately named the winners of season seven.

Love Island USA season eight premieres on Peacock on Tuesday.

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