Controversy continues to follow the cast of Love Island Season 7, which aired this past summer on Peacock. The latest drama involves former Islanders Huda Mustafa and her boyfriend, Louis Russell, who appeared to react insensitively to a racial slur directed at former co-star Olandria Carthern during a recent social media livestream.
The incident occurred when an unidentified viewer on the stream appeared to use the N-word to refer to Carthern. Mustafa and Russell were seen on camera, seemingly laughing in response to the comment.
After the video quickly went viral and drew widespread backlash, Mustafa took to her social media accounts to address the incident.
“Yall first of all click bait using a sensitive topic is actually insane. me and Louis did not hear what was said in that no caller id call on live, only the racial slur which we hung up immediately. i don't condone anything of the sort. whoever called purposely continuously called while we were live. i really don't condone racism which is why it was immediately hung up. once again we did not hear it very well considering it sounded like a child, only the last slur ijust wanted to address this before it blows out of proportion.
Also laughter was because it was AWKWARD, like who the heck says something offensive like that on a call on his live and as you can hear me say ‘what did they say?' and ‘they said a bad word,' because that's ALLi heard was the bad word. it was awkward and inappropriate, whoever said it is in the wrong.”
Following this, Carthern released a lengthy social media post in response. Rather than focusing solely on the negative moment, Carthern utilized her platform to deliver a powerful message of HBCU advocacy and community empowerment.
“I do not condone racism of any kind, nor do I entertain it. 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. Defending it, laughing about it, or making excuses is even worse. I will not let this moment derail my purpose of uplifting my community. I'm standing firm in who I am and using this as an opportunity to call for real accountability and awareness. We all have a role in building a culture where speaking to one another with respect is the standard, and where speaking against hate speech is the bare minimum.
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. I encourage those who have participated in the stream and their followers to demonstrate a genuine commitment to anti-racism by donating to organizations and foundations dedicated to educating and uplifting this community, such as the UNCF, NAACP, and/or the Thurgood Marshall College Fund. I will be making a personal donation as well.
In the next slides, I'll be sharing donation links to contribute in support of HBCUs and underfunded educational resources for Black students.”
Carthern then posted the links to UNCF, Thurgood Marshall College Fund, and the NAACP. Mustafa then released a lengthy apology, giving further explanation and also following Carthern's lead in spotlighting social organizations.
“I've taken the majority of the day to reflect and collect my thoughts to make sure this didn't come off as disingenuous. Last night, I quickly posted a statement acknowledging my reaction to the racial slur that was said on Louis' livestream. I want to take this moment to more fully take accountability for my actions.
I want to begin by saying I completely respect Olandria, and it's extremely disheartening that anyone, especially a presumed child, would find it excusable to use this type of language, and doing so only underlines the ignorance of the gravity that such a word carries.
Olandria – it is now clear that this comment was targeted at you, and I apologize for my immediate reaction. My reaction in that moment came from being caught off guard, not from finding the word or situation funny. It was a nervous, uncomfortable reaction that I recognize was inappropriate.
I want to be clear that I do not condone or tolerate anyone who uses such language, and I strongly encourage the individual responsible to reflect deeply on their words and the harm they've caused.
I'm making a personal donation to the NAACP and encourage anyone who feels moved to do the same. I will also share a list of additional organizations that support racial equity, education, and mental health support, so that anyone who wants to contribute can do so meaningfully.
With love,
Huda”
