Love Island contestant Vasana Montgomery has broken her silence about being removed from the cast of Season 8 after a video of her using a racial slur resurfaced.
“I would like to address a video from my teenage years that recently resurfaced,” Montgomery began in a statement posted to her Instagram Stories on Wednesday, a day after the new season of Peacock began.
“In those videos, I used racial slurs. There is no excuse for that and I deeply apologize,” she continued. “I am ashamed and disappointed in my words. I take full responsibility for what I said and understand why it hurt and upset people.”
Montgomery said that since the video purportedly showing her singing the N-word in the song’s lyrics, she has “grown a lot as a person and spent time educating (herself), listening, learning, and understanding more deeply the impact of language.”
“Growing up doesn’t erase my mistakes and I’m not asking anyone for forgiveness,” she added. “I believe that people should be held accountable for their actions, but I also believe that they can grow, learn, and get better.”
Montgomery, a business owner from Beaverton, Oregon, concluded her statement by writing, “I am truly sorry to those I have hurt or disappointed.”
TMZ first reported on May 30 that the 25-year-old aspiring reality star would be leaving Season 8 of Love Island.
At the time, a production source told the show that the video of Montgomery using racial slurs was private, which is why it wasn’t featured when she was being judged on the popular dating show.
This isn’t the first time Love Island’s powers-that-be have disciplined a cast member for using offensive language.
Just last season, two bombshells were prematurely evicted from the villa due to their controversial activities on social media.
Yulissa Escobar suddenly left the show just one day after the Season 7 premiere after an unreleased podcast clip came to light in which she can be heard repeatedly using the N-word. Escobar’s exit was featured in the second episode, and he later apologized online.
Meanwhile, fellow islander Sierra Ortega left the country after her past use of slurs targeting the Asian community was revealed. Love Island narrator Ian Stirling said Ortega had withdrawn from the contest “due to personal circumstances”, and a few days later Ortega released an “explanatory video”.
Ahead of the Season 8 premiere, and following news of Montgomery’s departure from the show, a statement was released on Love Island’s official Instagram account, imploring fans to be “kind” to the cast online.
“Villa operates on a positive note, and so does this community. We love to see your reactions, opinions, and discussions, but everyone has the right to feel safe and respected,” the statement said. “This is a fun space, not a negative one, so please be kind and positive. And remember, this is LOVE Island.”
The new season opens without Montgomery, as Islanders Anya Harvey, Beatrice Hutz, Melanie Moreno, Bryce Dettloff, Kenzie Annis, KC Chandler, Sean Reifel, Cynthia Rea, Trinity Tatum and Zach Georgiou begin their search for love.
Love Island season 8 is now available on Peacock.
