Peacock has removed Alannah Keyser from Love Island USA after videos surfaced allegedly showing her using the N-word, marking the second contestant removed from Season 8 for similar reasons.
Peacock confirmed to TMZ that Keyser will no longer appear on the show following Thursday night's episode. The decision came after a video resurfaced allegedly showing her saying the racial slur while singing Roddy Ricch's song "The Box."
An alleged past Instagram comment attributed to Keyser also appeared to include the racial slur and began circulating online as backlash quickly mounted against the reality television contestant.
Production sources told TMZ that the video and social media posts that recently surfaced appear to have not been shared publicly until after Keyser appeared on the show. The material was not accessible during the production's contestant vetting process, according to these sources.
The controversy represents a troubling pattern for the current season. Just weeks earlier, Season 8 cast member Vasana Montgomery was removed from the villa after old videos resurfaced appearing to show her using the N-word in multiple contexts.
In one clip, Montgomery appeared to say the word while rapping along to a song. In another, she appeared to yell it while cheering on a friend playing an arcade game.
Production sources told TMZ the same circumstances applied in Montgomery's case. The videos that resurfaced were not publicly accessible during the show's vetting process and only appeared online after she had already joined the cast.
The back-to-back removals highlight ongoing scrutiny of reality television contestants' past social media activity and the limitations of pre-production screening processes when content remains private or inaccessible during vetting procedures.
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Ava Hart
Ava Hart is a pop culture junkie and loves to share what's happening in Hollywood and what trends are taking the world by storm.
