Love Island USA has been a fan-favorite reality TV show since its debut in July of 2019; however, the show’s popularity skyrocketed into fame upon the release of the seventh season. For the majority of the summer, social media was dominated by Love Island clips, memes, and opinions from fans. Even now, over a month after the finale, media has kept a close eye on the stars and their lives outside of the villa. So what have some of these former islanders been up to since returning home? Let’s find out!
Since leaving the villa, many islanders have made appearances on popular talk shows and podcasts such as The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon and Call Her Daddy. One islander in particular, Huda Mustafa, recently spoke with Alex Cooper, the host of the podcast Call Her Daddy, about her experiences and takeaways from her time on Love Island. Many viewers responded negatively to the podcast as Mustafa did speak on the alleged bullying and targeted toxicity she faced within the villa, yet did not address the controversy surrounding her disingenuous behavior and her tendency to play the victim and blame others for her actions. Fans were unhappy with Mustafa’s lack of accountability and rudeness towards the other islanders both in and outside of the villa.
On the other hand, another season 7 islander, Amaya Espinal, also made an appearance on Call Her Daddy in which the response from the public was overwhelmingly positive. Viewers were happy to see Espinal continue to stay true to herself throughout her time on Love Island and after, and reacted much better to her episode of the podcast than to Mustafa’s. Senior Quinn McGlone kept up with the podcasts and interviews stating that Mustafa along with others “said things that really shocked [him].” It has seemingly been revealed through these interviews and podcasts that some of the islanders from season 7 are not quite who fans thought they were.
Social media plays a major role in the success of Love Island, which inevitably leads to online drama. It seems everyday there is a new headline about a former islander talking bad about another, cheating on their partner, or unfollowing someone on social media. This drama dates all the way back to when filming was still in progress. During filming, islander Cierra Ortega was removed from the villa for her use of racial slurs in a past Instagram post. Since her removal, she has faced a lot of backlash and continues to receive hate online for how she has handled the situation. Her partner in the villa, Nic Vansteenberghe, has even spoken out against Ortega. During the Love Island Season 7 Reunion, Vansteenberghe claimed Ortega was “prioritizing some attention through [her TikToks] rather than wanting to fix anything” between them [Peacock]. McGlone added how he has been “keeping up with the drama online and it’s been crazy.”
Though there are some couples who seem to be going strong, many have fallen apart since the finale episode and fans have gone crazy with speculations. Season 7 winners Amaya Espinal and Bryan Arenales were rumored to have split several times along with Iris Kendall and Pepe Garcia. “I have no idea what to believe” McGlone says, social media says one thing and the next day says another. It seems unclear as to what some of the former Love Island stars have been up to relationship wise, but the constant theorizing from the media has definitely not helped with the drama.
Though the aftermath of Love Island brings a lot of drama and disagreements across social media, many people have found a soft spot for the show. The entertaining nature of looking for love and the comedic relief from some of the islanders has drawn in fans from all over the country and has become a staple summer reality show to watch with friends and family.
