Vasana Montgomery has been dismissed from Love Island USA just days before Season 8 premieres, after resurfaced videos showed the 25-year-old from Beaverton, Oregon, using a racial slur. The removal means one of the original islanders will not enter the villa when the new season begins June 2 at 9 p.m. ET.
The cast change lands at the worst possible moment for a series built on anticipation and first impressions. New episodes will drop daily during premiere week before settling into a Wednesday schedule, and the opening lineup had already been set to include Aniya Harvey, Beatriz Hatz, Bryce Dettloff, Gabriel Vasconcelos, KC Chandler, Kenzie Annis, Melanie Moreno, Sean Reifel, Sincere Rhea, Trinity Tatum and Zach Georgiou, with Ariana Madix hosting.
A Peacock spokesperson said the videos appear to have been privately owned and were not shared publicly until after Montgomery’s announcement, leaving them inaccessible to vet before she was ousted. That explanation matters because the incident still led to her dismissal, even though the material was not apparently available during the casting process. The specific videos have not been described, and how they surfaced is still unclear.
The episode also extends a pattern that has shadowed the American version of the dating franchise. This is the second year in a row that the show has cut ties with a contestant over racist comments, after Yulissa Escobar left the villa a day after Season 7 premiered in June 2025 when a clip showed her repeatedly uttering the N-word. A month later in that same season, Cierra Ortega was removed after using an offensive racial slur against Asians.
For viewers, the immediate question is not whether Season 8 will go on — it will — but whether Montgomery will be replaced before the premiere or whether the villa opens one cast member short. The show is heading into June 2 with one seat already empty, and that absence may be the first thing the audience notices when the doors open.
