Vasana Montgomery has issued a public apology after she was removed from the Love Island USA cast days before the season premiere due to resurfaced videos of her using a racial slur.
“I want to address a couple videos from my teen years that have recently resurfaced,” Montgomery, 25, wrote Wednesday on her Instagram Story. “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.”
Her apology continued: “Since then, I have grown a lot as a person and taken the time to educate myself, listen, learn, and better understand the impact that language can have. That growth does not erase my mistake, and I am not asking anyone to excuse it. 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.”
The season eight cast was announced May 28, introducing Montgomery — a business owner from Beaverton, Oregon — as one of the 12 starting islanders who would be heading to the secluded Fiji villa for Peacock’s hit reality dating show.
Shortly after the casting announcement, two videos emerged on social media that showed Montgomery using the n-word, sparking instant backlash from fans of the series.
She was then removed from the cast before the first episode of the season aired June 2. To even out the number of islanders, cast member Gabriel Vasconcelos was also kept out of the initial season eight cast before being sent in as a bombshell at the end of the season premiere.
The Independent learned that the resurfaced clips of Montgomery appeared to have been privately owned and not shared online until after the cast list was announced, meaning the videos were not available for the vetting process she went through to be cast.
Montgomery’s exit from the show marked the second year in a row that islanders were removed from the villa for using racial slurs in the past.
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Days after the season seven premiere, Yulissa Escobar was pulled from the cast after a clip of her using the n-word on a podcast resurfaced. Later in the summer, Cierra Ortega left the show due to backlash over screenshots of her previously using language that was derogatory to Asian people.