LOVE Island USA star Yulissa Escobar has shared the ‘real story’ of what happened after she was kicked off the show for racist slurs.
Yulissa, 27, appeared on the show’s current season for the premiere episode and was kicked off after a video of her making racist remarks resurfaced on social media.
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Her exit came after old podcast clips emerged on Reddit, showing Yulissa using the N-word while talking about her ex-boyfriends.
Now, the Love Island star has appeared to share her side of the story in a TikTok video.
She captioned it: “Plot twist: I wasn’t dragged out in the dark. I walked out in broad daylight head high, lashes on.”
Keen to “set the record straight” on her exit, she told her followers: “So, regular a– day. I did not wake up in the middle of the night, they didn’t get me in the f****** morning, they didn’t drag my a** out of bed.”
She said her partner Ace Greene had made her breakfast in the morning and she was “just starting to have fun” when she was pulled out.
Yulissa was asked to come to the front and thought it was for a confessional, but she was met by a producer who asked her to take off her mic.
She went on: “I honestly got scared, I thought something was happening with a family member or something. I didn’t know what was going on.
“They didn’t really tell me anything, they just said, you know, a video resurfaced [on the] internet and it’s not looking too good.
“Honestly, I wasn’t even crying or anything, I just wanted to know what was going on.”
She said she had no idea at the time what the video was about and just “wanted to speak to [her] mom.”
Yulissa said she “can’t share certain things” when it came to her explanation.
The Love Island star then spent two days in a hotel in Fiji and got her phone back after those two days and saw what the internet had been seeing.
Describing the moment she realised what people had seen, Yulissa said: “It was a lot to take in.
“I was like, f***, no. I can’t believe people think I’m racist. I mean, I get it, I said a word that I should have not said, but man, I wish I would’ve never said that.
“It is what it is. I can’t go back in time. I am sorry that I said that word.”
Yulissa initially broke her silence over social media when she returned home from Love Island USA’s villa.
She wrote on Instagram at the time, “First, I want to apologize for using a word I had no right in using. Podcast clips from years ago have recently resurfaced, and I want to address it directly.
“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. And the impact of that word is real. It’s tied to generations of trauma, and it is not mine to use.
“At the time, I was speaking casually in conversation, not thinking deeply or critically about what I was saying. But that doesn’t take away from how wrong it was. The truth is, I didn’t know better then, but I do now. I’ve taken the time to reflect, to learn, and to grow from that moment.
“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. Growth means recognizing when you were wrong, even if it’s uncomfortable, and choosing to move forward with humility and accountability.”
She ended, “To those who are disappointed or offended, I understand and I apologize. I am sorry.”
She then posted how cancel culture is not “accountability” and is instead “online brutality,” as she has received death threats.
She wrote, “No one deserves to be erased over one moment. For the ones who didn’t make it — may you rest in peace. For the ones who are scared to speak — I got you. And for myself — because I’m done staying quiet.
“My name is Yulissa Escobar. And this is NOT where my story ends. One mistake does not define a human. And that moment? Was four years ago. I’ve clearly grown and I’m just getting started.”
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