Alannah Keyser, a contestant on the latest season of Peacock's "Love Island USA," has reportedly been fired from the reality show following the emergence of a resurfaced video in which she appears to use a racial slur. The incident has drawn significant online backlash.
Despite the video circulating online, Keyser, 21, had continued to be featured in episodes that were pre-taped. A production source told The US Sun that producers edited her appearances down as much as possible. "She couldn’t be removed completely, but her scenes were significantly trimmed down in Tuesday’s episode," the source stated.
Keyser, a student at the USC School of Cinematic Arts, will not appear in episodes airing from Thursday onward, according to the report. A production insider expressed disappointment and embarrassment over the situation.
The reality star was introduced as a "bombshell" contestant during the Casa Amor portion of Season 8. However, shortly after her debut, viewers discovered a video where Keyser allegedly sings along to a song and utters the N-word. Additional scrutiny revealed a resurfaced Instagram comment attributed to Keyser, where she also allegedly used the slur. The exact dates of these alleged incidents remain unclear.
This is not the first time a "Love Island" contestant has faced repercussions this season for alleged racial slur use. Last month, Vasana Montgomery was dismissed before filming commenced after a video surfaced showing her purportedly singing the N-word. At the time, a source close to production indicated that the videos were privately held and only came to light after Montgomery was announced as a cast member.
Keyser's father, Stephane Keyser, defended his daughter to TMZ, describing her as an "educated sweetheart" and asserting that she is not racist. Keyser herself has not yet publicly commented on the scandal.