Let’s be real: Love Island USA is supposed to be the ultimate escape. Hot singles, ridiculous challenges, and just the right amount of mess? Sign me up. But if you’ve been paying attention to what’s been going on off camera, you’ll know this season has been significantly impacted by the real world. The villa may be drama-central, but some of the biggest conversations of the season — ones about race, values, and politics — are happening outside the actual episodes.
LIUSA Season 7 has showcased just how difficult it is to completely separate the villa from reality, especially since the episodes are released almost as soon as they’re filmed — meaning what’s currently going on outside of the island actually influences what’s happening on the island. Notably, the recent abrupt exit of Cierra Ortega due to her racist comments coming to light, as well as Yulissa Escobar’s removal earlier in the season for using racist slurs in past podcast appearances, have brought the intersection of reality TV and politics into sharp focus. And yet, both of their departures were barely acknowledged on the show — and the reasons for their leaving certainly weren’t addressed.
Another, subtler, example comes from Season 7 dumped islander, Hannah Fields. She explained on the Chicks in the Office podcast that she chose not to couple up with castmate TJ Palma because they had differing opinions on subjects that are important to her. “I can kind of clock when me and somebody have different opinions on things that I just don’t waver on, and I kind of stand on business with that,” she said on the podcast, seeming to choose her words very carefully. “I knew there were multiple people that were like that, that I just did not want to have those interactions with.”
Although Hannah hasn’t specified what those differences were, it has come out that TJ follows extremely controversial content creator Andrew Tate on social media. Many fans believe TJ’s following of Tate — in light of his legal battles, connection to President Donald Trump, and/or misogynistic views — could have been part of what Hannah clocked during her time in the villa with him.
But, crucially, Hannah didn’t speak about their potential political differences directly in her interview, let alone on Love Island. This — combined with the offscreen eliminations and social media controversies — begs the question: In a season when politics in the outside world are having such a clear and prominent effect on the pairings in the villa, why isn’t it being addressed on the show? Are Love Island contestants even allowed to talk about politics?
Let’s look at the facts: As far as fans can tell, there’s no official rule banning political talk from LIUSA contestants — at least, not a rule that’s been made public or spoken about by former contestants — but it’s pretty clear the show isn’t built for it. Don’t get me wrong, the franchise has aired political conversations before. One of the most memorable moments came during Season 4 of the UK version in 2018, when islander Hayley Hughes admitted she didn’t know what Brexit was. That moment made headlines and showed that even on a series centered around banter and sex appeal, politics can find its way in. But moments like this are few and far between. And on Love Island USA, they’re practically nonexistent.
The lack of explicit political discussion is likely a deliberate choice by producers and editors. Love Island leans into flirty fun and cute dates, not intellectual debates on social issues. In fact, it seems like any convo that leans even a *little* controversial usually ends up edited out. Remember when Serena Page casually asked Kordell Beckham if he listened to podcasts, low-key testing him to see if he’d give a red-flag answer? That blink-and-you’ll-miss-it moment was one of the few times anything remotely political made it into an episode.
Still, Season 7 is showing fans that even in a villa full of vibes and vibes alone, real-world beliefs do matter. Whether they’re whispered in private or exposed on social media, they’re changing the way contestants connect — and reminding everyone that even paradise isn’t immune to reality.