Love Island USA contestant Yulissa Escobar has spoken out for the first time since she was suddenly kicked out of the villa after just one episode.

Escobar’s exit was announced just minutes into Season 7, Episode 2. Her departure was largely glossed over on the show with narrator Iain Stirling simply announcing, “Yulissa has left the villa.” A spokesperson for Peacock confirmed to DECIDER at the time that Escobar was no longer on the show. However, a reason was not provided. But her exit seemingly came after videos resurfaced of Escobar using the N-word several times in a podcast interview.

Days after leaving the villa, Escobar issued a statement on Instagram under a photo that says, “Owning my mistakes speaking my truth.”

“First, I want to apologize for using a word I had no right in using,” she wrote, adding that the interview was “from years ago.”

She continued, “I used a word I never should’ve used, a racial slur. I used it ignorantly, not fully understanding the weight, history, or pain behind it. I wasn’t trying to be offensive or harmful, but I recognize now that intention doesn’t excuse impact. And the impact of that word is real. It’s tied to generations of trauma, and it is not mine to use.”

Escobar claimed she “didn’t know better then.”

“But I do now. I’ve taken the time to reflect, to learn, and to grow from that moment,” she wrote. “I’ve changed a lot since then, not just in how I speak, but in how I show up, how I carry myself, and how I honor the experiences of others.”

“To those who are disappointed or offended, I understand and I apologize,” she concluded the statement.

In a rather unprecedented move for the hit Peacock series, Escobar appeared to have been asked to leave the villa seemingly overnight. After participating in the challenges with the contestants in Episode 1, she was gone by the very next morning.

The resurfaced interview clips added to the backlash Escobar was already facing from Love Island USA fans after videos and photos from her social media showed her expressing support for President Donald Trump.

In one video shared on X, Escobar can be seen saying, “I lost about 600 followers just because I’m a Trump supporter. Everybody’s entitled to their own fucking opinion.”

Her exit was largely celebrated on social media, as many fans had already vowed to vote her off the island.

New episodes of Love Island USA air on Peacock everyday, except for Wednesdays, at 9 p.m. ET.