Love Island's Vasana Breaks Her Silence On Being Dropped From The Cast
“I want to address a couple videos from my teen years...”
The disappearing cast member from Love Island USA Season 8 is finally addressing her abrupt removal from the show. A few days before the Season 8 premiere on June 2, Vasana Montgomery was revealed to be one of the original islanders in the cast announcement video. But immediately afterwards, footage of the Oregon native saying racial slurs went viral, and Peacock promptly dropped her from the cast before she could even reach the villa. Now that Season 8 has begun airing, Vasana posted a statement about the controversy.
"I want to address a couple videos from my teen years that have recently resurfaced,” Vasana wrote on her Instagram stories the day after Season 8’s premiere. "In those videos, I used a racial slur. There is no excuse for it, and I am deeply sorry. I am embarrassed and disappointed by my words. I take full responsibility for what I said and understand why it has hurt and upset people."
Vasana continued her apology by saying she has “grown a lot as a person” since the videos, and has “taken the time to educate myself, listen, learn, and better understand the impact that language can have.” But despite that, she isn’t looking for immediate forgiveness.
"That growth does not erase my mistake, and I am not asking anyone to excuse it," Vasana wrote. "I believe people should be held accountable for their actions, but I also believe in growth, learning, and becoming better. To anyone I hurt or disappointed, I am truly sorry,"
It’s unclear if Vasana’s fellow Season 8 contestants are aware of the last-minute casting change. The season was initially meant to have 12 original islanders, but because of Vasana’s removal, Gabriel Vasconcelos was held back as a bombshell despite being announced as an original islander to keep the gender disparity equal.
The situation with Vasana closely mirrors a very similar controversy at the beginning of last season, when Season 7 star Yulissa Escobar was removed from the show after just a couple days in the villa due to resurfaced videos with racial slurs.
