Yulissa Escobar #

Introduction #

Yulissa Escobar is a contestant on the Peacock reality series “Love Island USA” who was removed from the villa during the second episode of Season 7, after podcast clips of her using racial slurs resurfaced online. According to the reporting by Jack Dunn and Giana Levy of Variety, published 4 June 2025, the show gave her exit very little context, and viewers learned of her departure only through a single line from the series narrator. The removal followed a wave of online backlash against Escobar: resurfaced podcast audio of her using racial slurs drew furious reactions from fans, some of whom took to her Instagram to promise they would vote her off the island.

Background Information #

The seventh season of “Love Island USA” premiered on Peacock on 3 June 2025. After a nearly 45-minute delay because of technical problems, fans were introduced to the 10 singles vying to win the $100,000 cash prize and find love on the island. Former “Vanderpump Rules” star Ariana Madix returned as the show’s host, and the series was streaming on Peacock at the time of the reporting.

The cast around Escobar’s exit included the female islanders Chelley Bissainthe, Huda Mustafa, Belle-A Walker and Olandria Carthen, and the male contestants Ace Greene, Taylor Williams, Nicolas Vansteenberghe and Jeremiah Brown. The new bombshells who entered the villa on night one were Cierra Ortega and Charlie Georgiou.

The Controversy or Incident That Led to Their Cancellation #

Since joining the show, Escobar has faced massive online backlash after podcast clips resurfaced of her using racial slurs. In the clips obtained by TMZ and reported by Variety, she is heard using the N-word multiple times while discussing previous relationships.

The fallout arrived in the second episode of Season 7, which aired on Wednesday, 4 June 2025. Her exit was given very little context on the show: at around the 18-minute mark of Wednesday’s episode, as the islanders were waking up, series narrator Iain Stirling announces, “Yulissa has left the villa.” The broadcast offered little beyond that announcement, and the Variety article notes it is unclear whether Escobar was removed from the villa in the middle of the night or whether the “Love Island” editors just cut her out of the episode.

Public Reaction and Consequences #

Fans took to social media to express their outrage over the resurfaced clips, leaving hundreds of comments on Escobar’s Instagram. In those comments, they promised to vote her off the island once submissions became available through the “Love Island” app. As of the Variety reporting, Escobar has yet to respond to the backlash.

The consequence for her participation was swift: she was removed from the villa during the second episode of the season, a day after the season premiered on 3 June 2025, ending her run on the show.

Variety’s article also notes that Escobar isn’t the only contestant whose digital footprint was exposed during the season. Shortly after Peacock announced the Season 7 cast, an online user shared screenshots on X of Austin Shepard’s alleged TikTok likes, which included several posts supporting President Donald Trump. In that case, no removal followed: Shepard remains part of the cast.

Current Status #

As of the reporting, Escobar is no longer in the “Love Island USA” villa and has not responded to the online backlash. The circumstances of her exit remained open in the coverage: the show gave her departure very little context beyond the narrator’s announcement, and it remained unclear whether she was physically removed from the villa in the middle of the night or edited out of the episode by the show’s editors. The season continued with the remaining contestants, with the female islanders Chelley Bissainthe, Huda Mustafa, Belle-A Walker and Olandria Carthen and the male contestants Ace Greene, Taylor Williams, Nicolas Vansteenberghe and Jeremiah Brown still in the villa.

Impact on Their Career/Life #

Escobar’s participation in “Love Island USA” ended within the season’s first two episodes: the seventh season premiered on Peacock on 3 June 2025, and her removal was shown in the second episode, which aired on Wednesday, 4 June 2025. The Variety coverage does not detail her interactions in the villa; the record centers on the resurfaced podcast clips and the show’s minimal on-air explanation of her departure. Her case is documented alongside that of fellow Season 7 contestant Austin Shepard, whose alleged TikTok likes were shared on X shortly after the cast was announced. The two episodes of the season’s cast scrutiny show how quickly a digital footprint can be exposed during a reality television season and how unevenly the consequences can be applied: Escobar was removed from the villa, while Shepard remains part of the cast.