“Love Island” Star Olandria Carthen Releases Statement Following Co-Star Huda Mustafa’s Slur-Laced Controversy
- Chinyere Ibeh
- Oct 31
- 3 min read
Huda, and boyfriend Louis, faced backlash for their livestream and concerning reaction to slur.
“Love Island USA” breakout star Olandria Carthen has officially responded to a racist slur being used during an Instagram Live hosted by co-star Huda Mustafa and her boyfriend Louis Russell.
During the Instagram Live, Mustafa and Russell, who appeared on season three of Netflix’s “Perfect Match,” answered a call from an unknown caller. Without warning, the anonymous caller called Carthen the N-word — and, yes, with the hard -er. The duo proceeded to laugh and awkwardly hang up the phone.
Mustafa could be heard asking what was said, followed up by saying the caller said a bad word while Russell only said, “whoa, hey, hey.” In a post following the Instagram Live, Mustafa explained that they could only hear the racial slur, and nothing else. Russell took to Snapchat, claiming that people were using the situation as an opportunity to hate.
Carthen, who appeared alongside Mustafa in the seventh season of the hit show, responded via a statement posted to her Instagram Story.
“That kind of language is never acceptable. Not in anger, not as a joke, not ever. Words like that carry generations of pain, and pretending otherwise only keeps the cycle going,” Carthen wrote in the statement.
“While I anticipate this will result in surface level apologies that fade in a few days, I’d like to transform this moment into something actionable,” Carthen continued. “I encourage those who have participated in the stream and their followers to demonstrate genuine commitment to anti-racism by donating to organizations and foundations dedicated to educating and uplifting this community…”
Carthen then lists UNICEF, NAACP and the Thurgood Marshall College Fund as foundations and organizations worthy of donation. She proceeds to post donation links for each organization.
Like clockwork, both Mustafa and Russell posted apologies to their respective Instagram Stories.
“Last night, I quickly posted a statement acknowledging my reaction to the racial slur that was said on Louis’ livestream,” Mustafa said. “I want to take this moment to more fully take accountability for my actions.”
She continues to say that she completely respects Olandria, noting that it’s disheartening that anyone would use this type of language. She ends the statement by saying she’s making a donation to the NAACP, and she plans to share a list of organizations that support racial equity, education and mental health support.
Russell’s apology came soon after with the “Perfect Match” star apologizing for the caller using language that goes against everything the couple stands for.
“Huda and I were extremely caught off guard. As a Black man, I have greater empathy through my own lived experience battling racism,” Russell said. “And the idea that a flustered response to a very unnerving situation could be misinterpreted for me not taking the matter seriously is incredibly disheartening.”
This isn’t the first time the “Love Island USA” season seven cast dealt with racism controversies. For one, Yulissa Escobar was sent home after clips of her using racial slurs on a podcast resurfaced. Cierra Ortega also faced backlash for using a racial slur in a resurfaced social media post. Both ladies apologized for their respective controversies.
The season ended in July with couple Amaya Espinal and Bryan Arenales walking away with the $100K prize. Carthen and Nic Vansteenberghe placed second with Mustafa and ex-fling Chris Seeley taking third place.
Comments