'Love Island USA' Star Cierra Ortega Canceled After Using Term "Chinky" To Describe Her Own Face
Love Island USA star Cierra Ortega has seemingly been cancelled after a resurfaced social media post circulated where she used the term chinky to describe her own face.
Ortega posted to her Instagram story, “botox isn’t for everyone but I love it for me!!! I am incredibly expressive with my face and I catch myself frowning for no reason throughout the day when I’m focusing on something or thinking too hard lol. I can also be a little chinky when I laugh/smile so I love getting a mini brow lift to open up my eyes and get that snatched look.”
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In another post from 2015, she wrote, “Still chinkin’ even at the top.”
After these posts resurfaced a petition was created on Change.org to have Ortega deplatformed.
The petition, which was signed by 17,293 individuals, specifically states, “This petition aims to get Cierra kicked off of love island, just like how Yulissa was. Cierra said a slur, but in the worst way possible, she hated the fact that her eyes looked “asian”, so much so that she said a slur while sharing how she got botox to fix this feature that many of us have. LoveIslandUSA needs to acknowledge the racism against the Asian community and hold Cierra accountable for her blatant racism. Enough is enough!”
It added, “Also, this petition is meant to spread awareness and hold her accountable by deplatforming her. Please do NOT send her hateful messages. I do not condone cyber bullying. Acknowledge her racism, but please show restraint when making other comments.”
After these messages resurfaced and the petition was created, Love Island USA narrator announced on the show’s most recent episode that Ortega had left the island due to a “personal situation.”
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Ortega’s parents issued a statement on their daughter’s Instagram account. It states, “As Cierra’s parents, this has been one of the most painful weeks of our lives. We’ve seen the posts, the headlines, the hurt and the hate. And while Cierra hasn’t seen any of it yet, we have. And so have the people who love her. We’re not here to justify or ignore what’s surfaced. We understand why people are upset, and we know accountability matters. But that’s happening online right now has gone far beyond that.”
“The threats. The cruel messages. The attacks on her family, her friends, even her supporters, it’s heartbreaking,” they continued. “It’s uncalled for. And no one deserves that kind of hate, no matter what mistake they’ve made. While Cierra is not in the villa anymore, she is still away. She hasn’t had the chance to process any of this or speak for herself. But we know our daughter. We know her heart. And when she returns, we believe she’ll face this with honesty, growth, and grace.”
“While she’ll always be our little girl, she’s also a woman, one who will take responsibility in her own time and her own voice. Until then, we’re simply asking for compassion. For patience. For basic human decency. Not just for her, but for everyone caught in the middle of this,” they concluded.
Pop Culture Crisis host Mary Morgan reacted to this news saying, “I was under the impression that we moved past the peak of cancel culture, which most people agree was around 2019 to 2021 maybe 2022. And everyone is talking about this cultural vibe shift and everyone woke up one day and said we don’t like woke anymore. But the evidence shows that is demonstrably untrue.”
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Morgan would also note that another contestant from the show, Yulissa Escobar exited it last month after clips of her using the n-word while singing rap music surfaced. Escobar apologized on Instagram, “First, I want to apologize for using a word I had no right in using. Podcast clips from years ago have recently resurfaced, and I want to address it directly. In those clips, I used a word I never should’ve used, a racial slur. I used it ignorantly, not fully understanding the weight, history, or pain behind it. I wasn’t trying to be offensive or harmful, but I recognize now that intention doesn’t excuse impact. And the impact of that word is real. It’s tied to generations of trauma, and it is not mine to use.”
She continued, “At the time, I was speaking casually in conversation, not thinking deeply or critically about what I was saying. But that doesn’t take away from how wrong it was. The truth is, I didn’t know better then, but I do now. I’ve taken the time to reflect, to learn, and to grow from that moment. I’ve changed a lot since then, not just in how I speak, but in how I show up, how I carry myself, and how I honor the experiences of others. Growth means recognizing when you were wrong, even if it’s uncomfortable, and choosing to move forward with humility and accountability.
“There have also been fake statements circulating, things written or said by others that don’t reflect me or my heart. I want to clarify that this is my voice and my words. I don’t need anyone to speak for me. I’m choosing to speak for myself because I take full ownership of my actions. Do not listen to the fake statements. This is my official statement. This is me, speaking directly to you. To those who are disappointed or offended, I understand and I apologize. I am sorry,” she concldued.
Morgan said, “This is a post from June 2025 not from June 2020. I thought we had progressed as a culture past the point where we’re posting an Instagram apology to a mob of people with pitchforks and torches, but we haven’t.”
Additionally, Morgan made it very clear that the people engaging in this cancel mob are in the wrong, “The entire goal of canceling her is to encourage her to commit suicide. I don’t even say that to sound sensationalist or dramatic. The goal of canceling someone is to first, take away all of their personal relationships, take away their ability to make a living, and at last the ultimate goal is for them to end their life. That is the goal. If this girl, Cierra, did actually take her life over this that would be a happy ending for the people engaging in the cancel mob against her.”
While much of this is all negative, her exiting the show is probably a good thing because as Meghan Dillon at Evie Magazine notes the show is “a masterclass in emotional detachment, performative attraction, and commitment avoidance.”
Additionally, she shares that the show promotes fornication as “contestants are required to share beds immediately, even if they’ve just met.”
What do you make of Ortega seemingly being canceled from the show and being dragged online?
The marketing is working. I now know this woman exists. Still dont care.
Live by the social media, die by the social media.
I’m betting that the majority of the petition signers were not Asian making the whole thing racist itself.
Another set of situations where they should have listened to Vox and not apologized for anything. There’s no point to it. It’s not going to get them uncanceled.