After Cierra Ortega’s ‘Love Island’ Exit, Her Parents Ask Everyone for ‘Basic Human Decency’

While Cierra has yet to make a statement of her own, her parents have already asked for the cyberbullying to stop. 

“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,” her parents wrote on Cierra’s Instagram story on Monday.

“We’re not here to justify or ignore what’s surfaced. We understand why people are upset, and we know accountability matters. But what’s happening online right now has gone far beyond that.”

Her parents’ statement comes amid a season where production already had to release multiple warnings to fans about cyberbullying. First, it was over the intense backlash to Islander Huda Mustafa, whose behavior was deemed “toxic” by the fandom. Next, it was scrutiny of Casa Amor Bombshell Vanna Einerson, whose appearance sparked a new round of “how much filler is too much?” discourse that had online estheticians and amateur sleuths analyzing her face from every possible angle and digging up her high school photos to determine the exact age she started getting lip injections.

Vanna has since said that, when she turned her phone back on, the hate was so overwhelming that she had a breakdown in her hotel—one that led fellow dumped Casa girl Coco Watson to pray over her. (Just a reminder, Vanna’s only crime was getting a chin implant—which she actually denies, by the way.) 

“The threats. The cruel messages. The attacks on her family, her friends, even her supporters, it’s heartbreaking. It’s uncalled for. And no one deserves that kind of hate, no matter what mistake they’ve made,” Cierra’s parents’ message continued.

“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,” they concluded. “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. Thank you to those who’ve continued to show love, even when it’s not easy. – With love, Her family.”

So, what happens next? On the one hand, getting backlash and being booted from a reality TV show for using a racial slur is fair enough. On the other hand, what responsibility do producers and fans of the show have toward the mental health of its contestants, even when they’ve done something wrong? 

If Monday night’s delightfully low-stakes baby challenge episode was any indication, the producers are just as desperate as the fans to right this season’s vibes ahead of Sunday’s finale. It can’t all be on Amaya Papaya. That girl has been through too much.

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