It’s called Love Island USA — not HATE Island!
On Tuesday night’s episode of the hit dating show, viewers were met with a reminder to stop the negativity being thrown at contestants on social media. A message read during the episode:
“THE KEYWORD IN LOVE ISLAND IS…LOVE. WE LOVE OUR FANS. WE LOVE OUR ISLANDERS, WE DON’T LOVE CYBERBULLYING, HARASSMENT OR HATE.”
Related: Ariana Reacts To Claim Love Island USA Contestant’s IUD Fell Out!
The show’s social media pages shared a similar statement, adding:
“We appreciate the fans, the passion for the series, and the amazing group of Islanders who are sharing their summer with us. Please just remember they’re real people — so let’s be kind and spread the love!”
Why did they need to put out this message to viewers??
Season 7 has drawn out a ton of heated reactions from fans at home, particularly towards certain cast members mixed up in lots of drama. For example, following her nasty split from Jeremiah Brown, contestant Huda Mustafa has found herself the center of attention in the worst way. So much so that her ex and baby daddy Noah Sheline actually spoke out in her defense, saying earlier this month on TikTok:
“At the end of the day I hope everyone remembers we’re human. Her going on that show to find love, or whatever you think it was she’s doing, remember she’s still human, she has a daughter, and a life.”
Many viewers also criticized the looks of the new Casa Amor contestants when they entered this week. So, yeah, there’s been a LOT going on…
Seeing all this, host Ariana Madix has even urged fans to shut down the cyberbullying. In Saturday’s episode of Aftersun, she expressed:
“Love Island has the best fans across the entire globe. Passionate, and I love that. There’s such a great, amazing communal experience when it comes to watching the show, but I do want to say something to some of those people who are online. Don’t be contacting people’s families. Don’t be doxing people. Don’t be going on islanders’ pages and saying rude things.”
She even suggested fans do some soul-searching and go back and remove any harsh posts they’ve made, noting:
“You still have time to delete all of that, because the islanders don’t have their phones. So we’re giving you a chance. Because this is a fun, amazing, beautiful show, and we should be thanking each one of these islanders every single day for giving us themselves. Be nice. Please be nice, or I’ll come find you.”
While most fans agree that nobody deserves any hate, others have criticized the producers of the show for allowing hateful behavior to play out onscreen as well — such as Huda’s outbursts. Now, look, reality TV is known for being messy. That’s why everyone tunes in. But by no means should anyone be subjected to harassment, bullying, or any kind of hate speech — on or off-screen. And more steps should be taken to stop this so nobody’s mental health is affected.
This is also a particularly sensitive topic considering there have been three people within the Love Island franchise who have died by suicide following their participation in the series. Sophie Gradon, 32, was on the UK version of the show in 2016. Before her death in 2018, she had been open about struggling with her mental health when she emerged from the show due to intense bullying from viewers.
Another contestant on the next season in 2017 also died by suicide in 2019. Mike Thalassitis, 26, had been dealing with financial struggles as well as negative press ahead of his death. And lastly, former host Caroline Flack died by suicide in 2020 following mental health struggles, legal issues, and media scrutiny.
That’s a really dark pattern for one reality show franchise. No matter what you think of any show narratives, don’t forget — these are real people, not fictional characters! Real people who are putting themselves in a vulnerable position for viewers to get some entertainment over the summer. If you’ve got nothing nice to say, don’t say it at all! It’s really that simple, y’all. Vent with your friends in private if you have to, but don’t go writing mean things on the internet where the Islanders will be able to see it. No one’s mental health deserves to suffer as a result of a TV show. Be kind!
For resources on mental health, visit https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/find-help.
[Image via Love Island USA/Peacock/YouTube]
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