Kate Cassidy is weighing in on the latest Love Island USA controversy.
The girlfriend of the late pop star, Liam Payne, turned Tuesday to TikTok to defend Vanna Einerson, 21, who has received negative comments online regarding her appearance.
“People are brutal in this world,” Cassidy, 26, said. “I don’t even watch Love Island. This beautiful girl who goes into the villa, I guess, Vanna, she is so pretty, she’s so young. She’s being ripped to shreds on TikTok, on the internet. It is insane, and it is so mean and hurtful.”
“Could you imagine not having your phone, going into a villa, whatever, being all excited to meet all these new people, you come out, you get your phone back and you’re just scrolling and it’s literally just degrading, mean s***?”
Cassidy then said that she understands what it’s like to be judged on the internet. “I get it; I have been slandered on the internet before,” she continued. “Like, literally, I’ve heard it all. I’ve heard, ‘you look like a mother,’ ‘you look like a mom,’ ‘you look literally 45,’ ‘no way she’s 25,’ ‘I can’t even believe it, I thought she was at least 40.’”
She concluded her video by urging her followers to “be kind.”
Cassidy’s call for kindness came after the reality dating show issued a similar reminder for fans during its latest episode.
On Tuesday night, a warning message was aired on the reality dating show addressing the comments targeted towards contestants on the show.
“THE KEYWORD IN LOVE ISLAND IS… LOVE,” the statement read. “WE LOVE OUR FANS. WE LOVE OUR ISLANDERS, WE DON’T LOVE CYBERBULLYING, HARASSMENT OR HATE.”
Another message was posted on the Love Island USA X account on Tuesday, urging viewers to treat the contestants with kindness. “We appreciate the fans, the passion for the series, and the amazing group of Islanders who are sharing their summer with us,” the post read. “Please just remember they’re real people — so let’s be kind and spread the love!”
The host of Love Island USA, Bravo star Ariana Madix, has previously discussed the negative comments made about contestants online during the show’s Aftersun episode on Saturday.
“Love Island has the best fans across the entire globe,” Madix, 40, said. “Passionate — and I love that. There’s such a great, amazing communal experience when it comes to watching the show, but I do want to say something to some of those people who are online. Don’t be contacting people’s families. Don’t be doxing people. Don’t be going on islanders’ pages and saying rude things.”
She continued: “You still have time to delete all of that, because the islanders don’t have their phones. So we’re giving you a chance. Because this is a fun, amazing, beautiful show, and we should be thanking each one of these islanders every single day for giving us themselves. Be nice. Please be nice, or I’ll come find you.”
