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Who is Yulissa Escobar? Love Island USA contestant dismissed for hurling the N-word
Love Island USA Season 7 faced controversy as contestant Yulissa Escobar was removed after old podcast clips surfaced showing her using racial slurs.
Love Island USA Season 7 is off to a chaotic start, as one of the original contestants, Yulissa Escobar, was abruptly removed from the villa during the second episode after old podcast clips resurfaced showing her hurling racial slurs, including repeated use of the N-word.
Notably, around the 18-minute mark of Wednesday’s episode, as the islanders were just beginning to wake up, narrator Iain Stirling casually announced, “Yulissa has left the villa.” No further context was provided.
The departure follows days of mounting online backlash after the resurfaced podcast clips, obtained and reported by TMZ, began making rounds. In the audio, Escobar can be heard using the N-word several times while discussing past relationships.
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The clips sparked widespread outrage across social media platforms, with hundreds of furious fans flooding her Instagram account with comments and vowing to vote her off the show once the in-app voting became available.
Austin Shepard stays, Escobar exits: Love Island USA excites fans better than ever
Escobar isn’t the only Season 7 contestant. Shortly after the cast was officially announced, an X (formerly Twitter) user shared screenshots allegedly showing Austin Shepard’s liked TikToks, many of which featured content in support of former President Donald Trump. Shepard however has remained in the villa and is still a part of the current lineup.
With Escobar gone, the remaining female contestants in the villa include Chelley Bissainthe, Huda Mustafa, Belle-A Walker, and Olandria Carthen.
The guys vying for love (and the $100,000 prize) are Ace Greene, Taylor Williams, Nicolas Vansteenberghe, and Jeremiah Brown. The show also introduced two early “bombshells”: Cierra Ortega and Charlie Georgiou.
“Islanders will couple up to face brand new heart-racing challenges and bigger twists and turns than ever before,” the show's logline reads.
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Former Vanderpump Rules star Ariana Madix returned as the host for this season, which premiered on 3 June on Peacock, though the debut was delayed nearly 45 minutes due to technical hurdles.
Love Island USA Season 7 is currently streaming on Peacock with a Premium subscription costing $7.99 and a Premium Plus plan with $13.99 per month.
