It seems like the producers of “Love Island USA” dropped a bombshell to talk about, one that led to her being fired from the hit reality dating series.
Contestant Alannah Keyser's time in Fiji has officially come to an end as she faces backlash for apparently using a racial slur in a video and social media comments that recently resurfaced on social media. “Love Island USA” streamer Peacock confirmed to The Times on Friday that Keyser, a film student at USC Miami, will no longer appear on the series. She is the second contestant Peacock has fired this season over a racial slur scandal.
Keyser made her debut on “Love Island USA” last week as one of six women hoping to establish a connection with the male contestants in Casa Amor, testing the men's relationships with their partners in the villa. Keyser appeared to be paired with contestant Zach Georgiou. In her debut episode, she informed Georgiou that she had a brief romance with her older brother Charlie, a former “Love Island USA” contestant.
“Love Island USA” has parted ways with contestant Alannah Keyser after she used a racial slur in comments and social media posts.
(Ben Symons / Peacock)
She faced accusations of racism in the middle of her first episode of “Love Island USA” when a social media user posted screenshots of Keyser allegedly using the N-word on Snapchat and Instagram. A user on Some viewers, and other contestants on the series, also noted that Keyser interacted less with the black men on the series in her debut episode.
A source familiar with the production of “Love Island USA” said the controversial video and posts only became public on social media after Keyser's first episode and that the posts were not visible during the series' research process. Peacock confirmed Kesyer's firing hours after the US Sun reported his departure and downplayed screen time. “The producers were disappointed and embarrassed that this had turned into another mishap,” a source told the outlet.
Keyser did not immediately respond to a request for comment via social media.
Keyser is the fourth “Love Island USA” contestant in two years to face scrutiny over her past use of racial slurs. Earlier this month, Peacock removed beauty technician Vasana Montgomery from its Season 8 lineup before the season began. Last year, contestant Cierra Ortega left the villa prematurely after facing criticism for her previous social media posts that included a diss to Chinese people (and Asians more generally). A month before that, contestant Yulissa Escobar was fired in the second episode of the season amid protests on social media over her use of the N-word.
Those three contestants have since publicly apologized for their posts.
