Another season of Love Island USA is here, and that means a whole new batch of controversy! In fact, one of the contestants is already getting called out before the show begins airing on Tuesday, not because old problematic posts resurfaced, but because he quit his job to go on the series!
Before joining Season 8 of Love Island, Sean Reifel was a cop at the the Bethlehem Police Department in Pennsylvania. The 29-year-old reality star — also known as “officer sexy pants” — said while introducing himself to viewers in the second trailer about the 12 Islanders looking for love this season:
“I’m not a model, I’m not an actor, I’m a police officer, actually. You could be having the worst day of your life, and I’ll just help you sift through that.”
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Watch his entire intro (below):
But to be on the show, Sean quit his job after only a year on the force! Now his resignation is getting ripped apart by the mayor! Bethlehem Mayor J. William Reynolds accused the television personality of leaving the police department short-staffed and wasting taxpayer money to send him to the academy in an interview for local news outlet WHTM ahead of the premiere:
“Our police department spent a lot of time training and we paid thousands of taxpayer dollars to send him to the police academy. We are disappointed he left as we now have another vacancy in our department that is impossible to fill until next year. I never thought I’d see the day in America where reality show participation wins out over being a police officer.”
Sean is basically getting a vacation, possibly finding love, and potentially winning a good chunk of cash. Not to mention, depending on whether he stays in the viewers’ good graces, he might become a influencer and make more money post-show. So, why wouldn’t he take a good opportunity and resign from his position? We get it’s frustrating, but you can’t blame someone for shooting their shot when given the chance! He’s also allowed to do whatever he wants with his life!
The mayor isn’t the only one disappointed, though. Police Chief Michelle Kott, who is Sean’s former boss, is also upset over the situation, telling The Morning Call over the weekend:
“I love Sean, he’s a good guy, he was a great officer, but I’m disappointed. We work so incredibly hard to try to recruit the best people we can to be part of the Bethlehem Police Department.”
If Sean was so good, why didn’t they allow him to take a leave of absence and return after filming if he wanted? Michelle explained:
“At this time, I don’t think there’d be a department that would be willing to allow someone to leave for ‘x’ amount of weeks to go on a television show when everyone’s hurting right now and overtime is being utilized to fill those gaps. Officers are getting burnt out. It’s just a bad look to me.”
Hmm. This sounds like a department problem, not a Sean problem…
Well, Sean cannot defend himself right now! He is currently busy in the villa! But fortunately for the former officer, his family is stepping up to clap back! Sean’s sister, Brice Marie, took to the comments section of E! News‘ Instagram post to slam the mayor’s comments, saying:
“Sean’s sister here. This could have been a great opportunity for the mayor and police department to connect with the community, generate positive publicity for the town, and help improve perceptions of law enforcement. Instead, they chose a response that will likely reinforce the stereotypes they should be working to change. That said, I couldn’t be more excited for my brother and this amazing opportunity. We’ll be cheering him on every step of the way.”
Ch-ch-check it out (below):
And Brice wasn’t finished! She had more to say! She went on to share that the department didn’t allow Sean to take unpaid leave to join the show, and they ultimately missed out on the opportunity for some good PR:
“A reality show with a following as large as this one clearly has a significant influence on young people. When many of the negative comments about my brother were simply because he’s a police officer, before people knew anything else about him, it says a lot about how this demographic views law enforcement. If the department had allowed Sean to take unpaid leave and participate, it could have been an opportunity for people to see that not every officer fits the stereotypes they may have about police. In fact, people on TikTok and other social media platforms are already sharing stories about how Sean treated them with professionalism, kindness, and humanity while serving as an officer.”
His mother also confirmed on TikTok that he “applied for leave,” FYI! See (below):
Back to Brice…
Calling out Mayor Reynolds, she criticized him for not publicly supporting her brother:
“That’s why the mayor’s decision to release a public statement denouncing him feels unnecessary. Rather than supporting an employee who has represented the community well, it comes across as an attempt to draw attention to himself. At a minimum, it was a missed opportunity to improve perceptions and foster a more positive dialogue between law enforcement and a younger generation.”
Brice makes good points! She also took a moment to clear up a claim from the mayor! According to Brice, Sean “actually went through the police academy in Contra Costa County in California in 2021 before ever working as a police officer in PA.” So, no, “he did not have to be put through the full academy with that department in PA.” As Brice pointed out, Mayor Reynolds’ “statement was exaggerated and misleading.” Oof. See her follow-up posts (below):
So much drama, and the season hasn’t even started yet! Wow!
At this time, Mayor Reynolds and Police Chief Kott haven’t responded to the family’s statements. What are your thoughts, Perezcious readers? Sound OFF in the comments (below)!
[Image via Brice Marie/Instagram, Bethlehem Police Department/Facebook, Peacock/YouTube]
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