Love Island USA Season 7 premiered on June 3, 2025, and an islander has already been caught in a scandal. Yulissa Escobar was abruptly removed from the villa with no explanation during the second episode that aired yesterday. Iain Stirling began narrating the morning wake-up scene and started with “Welcome back to Love Island USA.” He then announced, “Yulissa has left the villa,” without providing further context. She will not be finding love in Fiji this summer.
While it is normal for islanders to come and go from the villa, they are usually voted off or leave on their own accord due to ‘emotional’ circumstances. In this instance, it seems that the producers removed Yulissa, and it could be in part due to her recent podcast clip surfacing on social media.
Yulissa Makes an Unexpected Exit
Yulissa Escobar, 27, was coupled up with 22-year-old Ace Greene during her brief time on the show. She became controversial before she entered the villa when fans of Love Island found clips of her on a podcast using a racial slur towards Black people. Fans became determined to vote her off as soon as the public was able to vote.
Unfortunately, fans did not get the privilege to rid their screens of Yulissa, but most were grateful in the comment section of Instagram, stating, “Love Island stood on business, and I love that.” Yulissa has yet to respond to the controversy online or the backlash she has received. However, she shared photos from her first day on Instagram the night she was sent home.
Yulissa is originally from Miami, but her mother is Cuban, and her father was born in Missouri. She owns a mobile bar business where she lives and admitted to being in a long-term relationship of 9 years before coming on the show. She warned viewers of her fiery personality during her episode one introduction, but failed to mention her racist side.
Watch Love Island USA
Love Island USA made its debut in 2019 with the airing of its first season. It is a reality dating series, stemming from the other popular UK version. The show brings together a group of 10 singles, 5 men and 5 women, and follows their journey to finding love. The singles couple up in a luxurious villa located in Fiji and participate in challenges meant to test their romantic connections and create dramatic recouplings. The series transitioned from CBS to Peacock, gaining significant popularity in the process.
Watch Love Island USA daily at 9 p.m. ET on Peacock.