Alannah Keyser has spoken out after being removed from the Love Island USA villa over a video of her using a racial slur. The reality star, who entered as a Casa Amor bombshell, now says the video does not show who she is today.
Alannah Keyser was removed from Love Island USA Season 8 on June 25 after old videos of her singing along to a song containing the N-word went viral online. The 21-year-old from Miami, Florida, made her public apology on TikTok on June 27.
“I’m coming on here to address some things that have been circulating online,” Keyser said in her video. She spoke directly about the clip from six years ago. “I’m sorry to whoever has seen that video and has been offended by it. That was never my intention.”
Keyser explained that the old video showed her singing along to Roddy Ricch’s 2019 song “The Box” while saying the racial slur. She added that the video does not represent her now. “The video is from six years ago, and that word is just not in my vocabulary anymore.”
Keyser Claims Some Screenshots Were Falsified
During her apology video, Keyser addressed more than just the singing clip. She also talked about screenshots that appeared to show her using racial slurs in old social media comments, which were spreading online at the same time.
“I also like to address the screenshots that have been falsified,” Keyser said. She firmly denied that these posts were real. “What has been shared does not reflect the truth, and it’s never been in my character to discriminate against anybody’s skin color.”
Keyser repeated that she does not support racism in any form. “I do want to say directly that I do not support racism or discrimination of any kind, and I never have.”
She also shared how the online backlash affected her personally. “When I first found out that these things were going around online, it really broke my heart, and I couldn’t do anything about it. But this has definitely been a learning lesson for me.”
At the end of the TikTok, a text message appeared on screen. It read: “It’s always been in my nature to spread positivity and help others, and I will continue to do so.”
Why the Show Removed Keyser from Casa Amor
Keyser’s exit happened just days after she joined the show. She appeared on Episode 17 on June 21 as one of six new bombshells entering the Casa Amor villa. This is a classic Love Island twist where new singles come in to test the existing couples.
The video of Keyser using the slur started circulating online just hours after her first appearance on the show. While the videos were damaging, sources say the show’s producers were not able to find them earlier because they were posted to private social media accounts.
A production source explained that the offensive material was not accessible during the vetting process before Keyser joined the cast. The clips only became public after she had already entered the villa. Because of this, Peacock was not aware of the posts when they cast her.
How the Show Handled Her Departure
After the video surfaced, producers started editing Keyser out of the pre-taped episodes as much as possible. An insider told Page Six that Keyser was “mostly edited out” of the June 23 episode after the clip went online. The source added that “Producers were disappointed and embarrassed that this has become another mishap.”
Keyser did appear in the first 20 minutes of the June 25 episode. In the episode, she was seen talking to and sharing a kiss with fellow Islander Zach Georgiou. She appeared briefly in two other scenes where she did not speak. Then, the show’s narrator, Iain Stirling, announced her exit by saying simply, “Alannah has left Casa Amor.”
Even though she got close to Zach, he eventually chose to go back to his original partner, Kayda Bosse, after the Casa Amor twist ended.
Fans Question Her Actions on the Show
While Keyser’s apology focused on the old video and social media posts, fans on social media brought up her behavior inside the villa.
During the heart rate challenge, viewers noticed something that made them question her apology. Fans commented that Keyser seemed to avoid the Black male contestants while giving her full energy to the white contestants during the challenge.
“So explain the heart rate challenge then because that was weird??” one user wrote in the comments section of her apology video. “Then explain why in the heart rate challenge you avoided all the Black guys and gave your all to the white guys. What was that about?? You know it was on TV right??” another person asked. Another viewer simply accused her, “Girl, you were discriminating on the show.”
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A Continuing Pattern on Love Island USA
Keyser is the second contestant to be removed from Season 8 over racial slur allegations. Earlier in the season, Vasana Montgomery was removed from the cast before the premiere even aired. Videos surfaced showing Montgomery using the same slur in similar situations. Montgomery later posted an apology saying, “I am deeply sorry. I am embarrassed and disappointed by my words. I take full responsibility for what I said.”
This issue is not new to the show. Last year during Love Island USA Season 7, two contestants were also removed. Yulissa Escobar was kicked off after clips of her using a racial slur surfaced. She said she used the word “ignorantly, not fully understanding the weight, history, or pain behind it.” Later in that season, Cierra Ortega was removed for using a slur against Asian people.
Despite the cast controversies, Love Island USA remains one of Peacock’s biggest shows. According to the streamer, the first three days of Season 8 pulled in 824 million viewing minutes, a record for any Peacock original series over that length of time.
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