“Are you dumb?”- ‘Love Island USA’ season 7 star Austin Shepard responds to fan question about racism allegations

Austin Shepard, a contestant on Love Island USA Season 7, has addressed allegations of racism. The 26-year-old reality star, who left the Fiji-based villa with other Islanders, went on social media on July 4 to talk about growing rumors. On Instagram Stories, Austin held a Q&A where a follower asked if he was a "racist bigot." He replied with a video showing his surprise at the question and denying such behavior.

“I’m going to give this attention only one time because this is, like, crazy,” Austin said in a Friday video. “Are you f***ing dumb? Like, honestly, are you dumb? Do you not think?”

He also mentioned having a tattoo of a Black woman on his side, offering this as part of his answer to the accusation.

“I have a Black woman tatted on my side,” he quipped. “Use your head.”

Love Island USA's Austin Shepard hits back at 'crazy' racism allegationshttps://t.co/YS2atrWTwC pic.twitter.com/sbbpb2Y2UB

— MirrorUSNews (@MirrorUSNews) July 6, 2025

Austin Shepard responds to racism allegations after leaving Love Island USA

Austin was one of the first Islanders when the show began and stayed in the villa until he got kicked off this week. Andreina Santos, TJ Palma, Gracyn Blackmore, and Jaden Duggar also left at the same time. Neither Austin nor the Love Island USA team mentioned any particular event related to the claims.

The season has faced its share of drama. Fellow contestant Yulissa Escobedo got kicked off the show after old social media posts with racist undertones came to light. The show's voiceover mentioned her exit, just saying she had "left the villa."

The episode didn't give any detailed reasons. After she left, Yulissa shared a TikTok video on July 3 to explain how she learned about her removal. She said a producer called her away from the cameras, told her to take off her mic, and informed her that a video had popped up online that was causing problems.

“I wasn’t dragged out in the dark. I walked out in broad daylight head high, lashes on,” Yulissa said in a Thursday, July 3, TikTok video. “I did not wake up in the middle of the night. They didn’t drag my ass out of bed. I was actually just getting comfortable and just coming out of my shell because initially I was kind of timid and shy. I was upset that I got pulled out on that day because I was like, ‘Damn, I was just starting to have fun.’”

Cast member Jeremiah Brown later verified that Islanders in the villa were informed only that Yulissa had departed for "personal reasons." Some of them grasped the complete picture after they got their phones back when they left the show.

At this time, Love Island USA has not issued a public statement on either Austin’s response to fan questions or the specific details of Yulissa’s removal. The show continues to air new episodes daily (excluding Wednesdays) on Peacock, featuring ongoing romantic connections and eliminations as the season progresses.