Ciara (Cierra) Ortega left Love Island USA due to a "personal situation," which was revealed during the 30th episode of the season. However, her departure was closely linked to backlash after racist social media posts she allegedly made resurfaced. These posts included racial slurs offensive to the Asian community. The show's producers removed her after she broke some of the show's policy guidelines related to these posts. Her exit was sudden and took her boyfriend on the show, Nic Vansteenberghe, by surprise. Following her removal, Cierra's family addressed the online threats and abuse directed at her while acknowledging accountability for her past actions. Cierra later apologized publicly, explaining that she did not understand the severity of the language she used at the time but has since taken responsibility and sought to grow from that experience.