Alannah Keyser, a contestant on Love Island USA, has been removed from the show following the resurfacing of a video in which she used a racial slur. Keyser, 21, addressed the controversy in a TikTok video, stating that the offending clip was from six years ago and that the N-word is no longer part of her vocabulary.
Keyser was axed from the American version of Love Island last week after the video, showing her singing along to a song containing the slur, caused fan outrage. In her TikTok apology, she stated, "I’m sorry to whoever's seen that video and has been offended by it. That was never my intention." She also claimed that screenshots circulating on social media, allegedly showing her using a racial slur in a past comment, had been doctored and falsified.
"What has been shared does not reflect the truth and it has never been in my character to discriminate against anybody’s skin color," Keyser asserted. "I do want to say directly that I do not support racism or discrimination of any kind and I never have."
Peacock, the network airing Love Island USA, confirmed Keyser's departure. She is the fourth woman to be removed from the show in recent times due to racist incidents.
Producers edited Keyser out of pre-taped episodes as much as possible after the video surfaced, significantly trimming her scenes in the Tuesday episode. A source told The US Sun that producers were "disappointed and embarrassed that this has become another mishap."
This is not the first racism scandal to affect Love Island USA's eighth season. In May, contestant Vasana Montgomery was removed after videos allegedly showed her using the N-word. According to TMZ, these videos were private, which is why production did not discover them during the pre-casting screening process.
Last year, contestant Yulissa Escobar was removed from the show for her past use of racist slurs, and Cierra Ortega was also removed after racist posts from her Instagram account, including the use of a slur offensive to Chinese people, were uncovered.
Love Island USA premiered its eighth season on June 2, hosted by Ariana Madix. Shortly before the premiere, the show released a statement on Instagram encouraging positivity and respect within its community, stating, "The Villa runs on good vibes, and so does this community. We love seeing your reactions, opinions, and debates, but everyone deserves to feel safe and respected."