Love Island USA’s Austin Shepard Addresses Racism Allegations
Austin Shepard is not entertaining baseless accusations.
After returning home from his stint on Love Island USA season seven, the reality star responded to a fan accusing him of being a “racist bigot” during a Q&A on his Instagram Stories.
“I’m going to give this attention only one time because this is crazy,” Austin said in a July 4 video, “Are you f--king dumb? Honestly, are you dumb? Do you not think?”
In fact, the 26-year-old went on to claim that one of his tattoos was proof that the accusations weren't true.
“I have a Black woman tatted on my side,” he continued, showing the camera his ink. “Use your head.”
And while Austin was only recently dumped from the villa alongside Andreina Santos, TJ Palma, Gracyn Blackmore and Jaden Duggar, his fellow OG islander Yulissa Escober was removed after just two episodes on the Peacock reality series after receiving online backlash for using the N-word in resurfaced podcast appearances.
“First, I want to apologize for using a word I had no right in using,” she wrote on Instagram two days after her episodes aired. “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.”
“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,” she continued. “Growth means recognizing when you were wrong, even if it’s uncomfortable, and choosing to move forward with humility and accountability.”
And while viewers speculated that she was quietly removed from the villa while the other islanders were asleep, the 27-year-old has since set the record straight around exactly what happened.
“Plot twist: I wasn’t dragged out in the dark,” she captioned a July 3 TikTok video. “I walked out in broad daylight head high, lashes on.”
Adding that she felt she was just “getting comfortable and just coming out of my shell,” Yulissa recalled in the video that her day started out just like any other—with her costar Ace Greene making her breakfast.
“I can’t tell you the time because we don’t have access to the real world,” she explained. “I had gotten called to the front and then I met one of the producers and they asked me to take my mic off.”
“I honestly got scared,” she added. “I thought something happened with a family member or something. They didn’t really tell me anything. They just said that a video resurfaced on the internet and it’s not looking too good. I didn’t really know what video or what I was saying or what I did.”
To learn more about the islanders looking for love on season seven of Love Island USA, keep reading.
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