Vasana Montgomery will no longer appear on the “Love Island USA” season 8 premiere as originally planned after resurfaced social media videos allegedly showed her using a racial slur. According to Us Weekly, the 25-year-old contestant was removed from the cast before the show’s Monday, June 2 premiere after two privately owned clips circulated online and drew backlash from viewers.
In one of the videos, Montgomery allegedly appears to sing along to a song containing the n-word. In another, she is said to have used the slur while playing an arcade game. Because the videos were reportedly private, production would not have reviewed them before her casting announcement, Us Weekly reported. After the clips leaked following the May 28 cast reveal, many fans called for her removal from the Peacock dating series. Peacock has not publicly commented.
Montgomery had been announced as part of the official season 8 lineup on Thursday, May 28. In a pre-release teaser, the Beaverton, Oregon, native described herself as “the full package,” saying she owns a business, lives alone and has a dog. She also joked that her friends would describe her type as spanning “the world map.”
Ahead of the casting announcement, “Love Island” posted a message on Instagram asking viewers to keep reactions respectful and avoid negativity. The show said the villa “runs on good vibes” and that everyone deserves to feel “safe and respected.”
Montgomery’s removal comes after two similar controversies affected the franchise in 2025. During season 7, islander Yulissa Escobar was shown leaving the villa after podcast clips resurfaced in which she allegedly used racial slurs. Escobar later apologized on Instagram, saying she had used a word she “had no right in using” and did not fully understand its history or harm at the time.
The following month, Cierra Ortega also exited the show after resurfaced posts showed her allegedly using an offensive term directed at Asian people. Ortega later apologized in a video, saying she had been “naively using an incredibly offensive and derogatory term” and addressing the Asian community directly with an apology.
“Love Island USA” is set to premiere on Peacock on Monday, June 2. The season’s rollout has been overshadowed by renewed scrutiny over contestants’ past online behavior, with viewers closely watching how the show handles allegations involving offensive language and social media posts.
