“Y’all need to learn the difference between criticism and cruelty cuz calling ICE is insane.”

Love Island star Cierra Ortega says that ICE was referred to as on her household after her previous social media posts that includes an anti-Asian slur resurfaced.

Featured Video

On Wednesday, Ortega posted a video to TikTok apologizing for her use of variations of the c-slur in posts that web sleuths dug up. 

“I had no idea that the word held as much pain and as much harm and came with the history that it did, or I never would have used it,” she mentioned. “I had no ill intention when I was using it, but that’s absolutely no excuse, because intent doesn’t excuse ignorance. It just doesn’t.”

In the practically five-minute video that’s been considered over 16.5 million occasions to this point, Ortega shared screenshots of a non-public dialog she had in January 2024 with a follower who knowledgeable her that the time period was “unacceptable and incredibly hurtful.”

“In that moment, I was embarrassed. I, of course, immediately deleted the post. I was apologetic and I educated, not only myself, on the history and true meaning of the word, but also anyone around me who was accidentally holding space for this slur,” she mentioned.

Ortega additionally mentioned that Love Island USA was appropriate of their resolution besides her from the villa after her posts got here to gentle, however disputed claims that she had doubled down and continued to make use of the slur after initially being referred to as out final yr.

Cierra Ortega says ICE has been referred to as on her household

The majority of Ortega’s video was devoted to apologizing and taking accountability for her phrases. However, she additionally shared that her household has been focused as a part of the backlash in opposition to her.

“What’s been extremely, extremely difficult is the way people are approaching my family and my loved ones,” she admitted. “They have had ICE called on them. My family doesn’t feel safe in their own home. I’m receiving death threats. There’s no need to fight hate with hate. I don’t think that that’s justice.”

Reactions to the apology itself had been cut up. But the concept that somebody could have referred to as immigration on Ortega’s household in retaliation didn’t go over properly with lots of people.

The web is chaotic—however we’ll break it down for you in a single day by day e mail. Sign up for the Daily Dot’s web_crawlr e-newsletter right here to get the perfect (and worst) of the web straight into your inbox.