Yulissa Escobar Love Island USA: Who Is She and What Happened?

Yulissa Escobar became a talking point among reality television fans after joining Love Island USA Season 7 in June 2025. The Miami-based entrepreneur entered the Fiji villa hoping to find a romantic connection, but her time on the show ended almost as quickly as it began.

Her departure came after old podcast recordings resurfaced online, revealing her use of a racial slur and triggering widespread criticism. The show’s announcement was brief, leaving viewers with questions about what had happened behind the scenes.

Yulissa later addressed the controversy, apologized for her language and shared her own account of the circumstances surrounding her departure. Here is what is known about her background, her appearance on the show and the events that brought her short-lived reality television experience to an end.

Who Is Yulissa Escobar?

Peacock introduced her as one of the original ten Islanders announced ahead of the Season 7 premiere on June 3, 2025.

Here are the basic details associated with her television appearance:

Her professional background in mobile bar services gave her an entrepreneurial identity outside reality television. However, it was her unexpected departure and the controversy surrounding her past podcast appearances that brought her wider public attention.

Peacock’s official Season 7 cast announcement confirms her inclusion in the original lineup and identifies Miami as her hometown.

Yulissa Escobar’s Appearance on Love Island USA Season 7

Season 7 of Love Island USA premiered on June 3, 2025, with Ariana Madix returning as host and Iain Stirling serving as narrator.

The contestants entered the villa in Fiji with the goal of forming romantic connections. As in previous seasons, Islanders had to navigate first impressions, coupling decisions, challenges and changing relationships.

Yulissa was among the original female contestants.

Her first coupling with Ace Greene

During the opening episode, the Islanders participated in the initial coupling process. Yulissa chose Ace Greene as her partner.

The decision attracted attention because Ace had initially been paired with Chelley Bissainthe. Yulissa’s choice changed the early relationship dynamics and made her part of one of the season’s first coupling developments.

However, their partnership did not have much time to develop.

Her participation ended before viewers could see a substantial romantic storyline between the two contestants.

Peacock’s official Season 7 premiere-week recap confirms the initial pairing and records her departure during the second episode.

Why Did Yulissa Escobar Leave Love Island USA?

Yulissa left the villa during the second episode of Season 7 after old podcast recordings containing racial slurs resurfaced online.

The recordings became public shortly after the show’s cast announcement, generating criticism from viewers before the season had properly begun.

The controversy quickly became the main story surrounding her participation.

The resurfaced podcast recordings

Following the announcement of the Season 7 cast on May 29, 2025, recordings from previous podcast appearances featuring Yulissa began circulating online.

In the recordings, she used the N-word while discussing relationships and previous experiences.

The language triggered widespread backlash because of the word’s racist history and its harmful associations.

Many viewers expressed disappointment that someone whose past public statements had generated such controversy had been selected for a widely watched dating series.

Some also called on the show’s producers to remove her before audience voting could begin.

The criticism spread across social media and entertainment news outlets, making the controversy difficult to separate from the show’s early publicity.

When did she leave the villa?

Yulissa’s departure was announced during Episode 2, which aired on June 4, 2025.

Rather than providing a detailed explanation, narrator Iain Stirling simply informed viewers:

“Yulissa has left the villa.”

The announcement was brief, and the program did not explain the circumstances behind her departure at that moment.

Ace Greene was subsequently left without his original partner, while the other contestants continued with the competition.

Importantly, the broadcast announcement did not explicitly state whether she had voluntarily left or had been removed by producers.

However, the timing of the departure, the resurfaced recordings and subsequent reporting connected the incident to the controversy.

Peacock confirmed her departure but did not publicly provide a detailed explanation of the decision.

What Did Yulissa Escobar Say About the Controversy?

After leaving the show, Yulissa addressed the criticism through a public Instagram statement published on June 6, 2025.

She apologized for using the racial slur in the old recordings and acknowledged that the language was wrong.

Her statement recognized that she had not properly understood the word’s historical significance and the pain associated with its use.

She also acknowledged that claiming she did not intend to offend anyone did not remove the harm caused by her words.

Her public apology

The main points of her apology included:

• Acknowledging that she had used a racial slur.

• Accepting that the language was inappropriate.

• Recognizing the historical and emotional impact of the word.

• Expressing regret toward people who felt offended or disappointed.

• Saying that she had taken time to reflect and learn from the incident.

• Emphasizing personal responsibility rather than relying on other people to speak on her behalf.

Her response was significant because it provided a direct acknowledgment of the controversy rather than leaving the public to rely entirely on circulating recordings and third-party commentary.

However, an apology does not automatically resolve public criticism. Viewers can assess the statement for themselves and decide whether they believe the response demonstrates meaningful accountability.

Entertainment publication People reported on her apology and subsequent explanation.

Yulissa Escobar’s Account of Her Sudden Departure

The initial announcement left several questions unanswered, particularly about how the departure was handled.

In a later TikTok video, Yulissa shared her version of events and described what happened when producers informed her about the resurfaced recordings.

According to her account:

1. She was going about her day inside the villa when a producer called her over.

2. She was asked to remove her microphone.

3. The producer told her that a video had resurfaced and that the situation was not looking good.

4. She said she was initially worried that something had happened to a family member because she did not know what the producer was referring to.

5. She was taken to a hotel and spent two days without access to her phone.

6. After regaining access to her phone, she learned more about the recordings and the public reaction.

She also clarified that she had not been dragged out of the villa during the night, correcting speculation about the circumstances of her departure.

These details represent her personal account, not an independently published production record. Peacock did not provide a detailed public explanation that independently confirmed every part of her description.

Her explanation nevertheless offered viewers additional context that was missing from the episode itself.

What Happened to Her Relationship With Ace Greene?

Yulissa’s initial pairing with Ace Greene was one of the first romantic developments in Season 7.

However, her departure in Episode 2 meant the relationship never had an opportunity to develop into a longer storyline.

Ace was left single following her exit, and the competition continued without her.

It is worth distinguishing this brief television pairing from a confirmed off-screen relationship. There is no reliable basis for describing the two as a long-term couple or claiming that they continued a serious romance after the show.

For viewers following the season, her departure was primarily a change to the villa’s early coupling dynamics rather than the end of an established relationship.

What Did Yulissa Escobar Do Before Reality Television?

Before becoming associated with Love Island USA, Yulissa was identified as a Miami entrepreneur working in the mobile bar business.

A mobile bar business typically provides beverage service at private celebrations, weddings, corporate functions and other events.

The Miami Herald identified her business as Aesthetic Events, a local mobile bar company.

Her appearance on the reality series introduced her to a much wider entertainment audience, although her participation was too brief to establish a substantial television career through the show itself.

It is useful to separate confirmed professional information from the more extensive personal biographies published by smaller celebrity-profile websites. Details such as education, family background, precise career history and relationship status should not automatically be treated as verified simply because they appear on multiple biography pages.

Why Did Her Departure Become Such a Major Talking Point?

There were several reasons her exit attracted attention.

First, the timing was unusual. She had only just entered the villa, and viewers were still getting familiar with the original contestants.

Second, the controversy emerged before the season premiered. This meant that discussions about her past comments were already circulating while promotional material for the show was being released.

Third, the announcement was extremely brief. Viewers received confirmation that she had left but no detailed explanation during the episode.

Finally, her subsequent apology and personal account added another chapter to the story. Rather than ending with the announcement, public discussion continued as she addressed the recordings and described her experience with the show’s production team.

The situation also highlighted the challenges reality television producers face when reviewing the public histories and online activity of contestants before casting them.

For audiences, it raised questions about contestant vetting, public accountability and how reality television programs should respond when past statements come to light after filming begins.

Conclusion

Yulissa Escobar’s appearance on Love Island USA Season 7 was brief, but her departure became one of the early talking points of the season.

Her initial pairing with Ace Greene was quickly overshadowed by resurfaced podcast recordings, public criticism and her subsequent exit from the villa. She later acknowledged her inappropriate language, apologized and shared her account of how producers informed her about the situation.

For anyone researching Yulissa Escobar Love Island USA, the essential distinction is that the show confirmed her departure without initially explaining it, while later reporting and her own statements provided additional context.

Her story remains a notable example of how a contestant’s public history can influence a reality television appearance before a full season storyline has even developed.

5. Frequently Asked Questions

1. Who is Yulissa Escobar from Love Island USA?

Yulissa Escobar is an American entrepreneur from Miami, Florida, who appeared as an original contestant on Season 7 of Love Island USA in 2025. Before joining the show, she worked in the mobile bar business.

2. Why did Yulissa Escobar leave Love Island USA?

She left the show during its second episode after old podcast recordings resurfaced showing her using a racial slur. The recordings triggered widespread public criticism. Although the show did not initially explain her departure, subsequent reporting connected it to the controversy.

3. How many episodes was Yulissa Escobar in?

She appeared during the opening episode of Season 7 and her departure was announced in Episode 2, which aired June 4, 2025.

4. Was Yulissa Escobar coupled up with Ace Greene?

Yes. Yulissa initially chose Ace Greene during the first coupling ceremony. Her departure meant their partnership ended before it could develop into a substantial romantic storyline.

5. Did Yulissa Escobar apologize for her comments?

Yes. On June 6, 2025, she published an Instagram apology acknowledging her use of a racial slur. She expressed regret, recognized the harm associated with the language and accepted responsibility for her comments.

6. What did Yulissa Escobar say about being removed from Love Island?

In a subsequent TikTok video, she explained that a producer informed her about a resurfaced video, after which she was taken to a hotel without her phone for two days. She later learned more about the controversy and clarified that she had not been dragged out of the villa at night.

7. What was Yulissa Escobar’s occupation before Love Island USA?

She was identified as a mobile bar owner in Miami, Florida. The Miami Herald reported that she operated a business called Aesthetic Events.