Cierra Ortega exits 'Love Island USA' amid backlash from posting racial slur

'Love Island USA' contestant Cierra Ortega is exiting the show after social media posts containing a racial slur resurfaced on social media, sparking online backlash.

Cierra Ortega left the “Love Island USA” villa amid backlash from viewers who resurfaced old social media posts from the reality star that contained a racial slur.

The show, an American spinoff of a U.K. offering, announced during Sunday’s episode that Ortega is exiting “due to a personal situation,” but did not elaborate. Her departure comes just one week before the hit reality show’s finale is set to air on Peacock. (NBCUniversal is the parent company of Peacock and NBC News.)

A spokesperson for the show declined to comment.

Ortega is the second contestant to leave the show this season after facing controversy for past language. Yulissa Escobar abruptly exited last month after video clips surfaced online that appear to show her using a racist slur while on a podcast.

Over the past week, Ortega, who is of Mexican and Puerto Rican heritage, lost hundreds of thousands of followers on Instagram, according to social media analytics website Social Blade, as discourse about the contestant’s alleged use of an anti-Chinese slur gained viral traction.