Alannah Keyser, a 21-year-old contestant on Love Island USA season 8, has apologised after being removed from the villa following the resurfacing of a video in which she used a racial slur. The video, posted on TikTok, has garnered over 81,000 likes.
Apology and Explanation
In the video, Keyser addressed a clip of her singing along to Roddy Ricch's 2019 song "The Box," where she used the n-word. She said: "I'm sorry to whoever's seen that video and has been offended by it, that was never my intention. The video is from six years ago and that word is just not in my vocabulary anymore."
Keyser also addressed screenshots circulating online, claiming they were falsified. "What has been shared does not reflect the truth and it's never been in my character to discriminate against anybody's skin colour," she stated. She emphasised that she does not support racism or discrimination.
Removal from the Villa
Keyser left the villa mid-episode last Thursday. She captioned her TikTok post: "Remember that reality tv is HEAVILY edited & my chats/kisses with the other boys were unfortunately not aired."
This is the second time a contestant has been removed from Love Island USA season 8 for using the n-word. In late May, Vasana Montgomery was fired before the season premiere after two videos of her using the slur went viral. In season 7, Yulissa Escobar and Cierra Ortega were also removed for using racial slurs.
Network Response
Peacock, the network airing Love Island USA, told Deadline that it was not aware of Keyser's social media posts prior to casting, as they had not been publicly shared until after her appearance. The streamer vets each contestant, but sources say these posts would not have been accessible during the vetting process.
Love Island USA season 8 is available to watch on Peacock.
