Leaving paradise behind. After Tigerlily Cooley’s brief stint on Love Island USA, she has opened up about her mysterious departure.
“Hundreds of people have been asking why [I] disappeared on Love Island and I feel it’s only fair to the public to address my experience during Casa Amor, to the extent I am allowed to disclose,” the Peacock personality, 24, tweeted on Friday, August 26, alongside a lengthy statement.
Tigerlily originally joined season 4 earlier this month as part of the reality TV series’ “Casa Amor” twist, where the original male Islanders leave the villa — and their partners —for a second abode. The purpose of Casa is for the contestants to test the strength of their budding romances when tempted by newcomers.
“Coming onto the show, I was genuinely interested in getting to know one of the Islanders,” the model noted in her Friday statement without revealing who had caught her eye. “However, their behavior off-screen crossed my boundaries and made me extremely uncomfortable.”
She continued: “After refusing sexual advances, I was treated with complete disrespect by this Islander. I was humiliated in group settings and the false rumors spread by this Islander made me feel slut shamed. It became so unbearable [that] I considered leaving, but ultimately felt it was unfair that this Islander would be allowed to stay while I was bullied off the show.”
While Tigerlily never addressed her alleged bully by name, Jesse Bray, Chazz Bryant, Isaiah Campbell, Timmy Pandolfi and Jared Hassim traded the original villa for a “mini break” in Casa. Following Tigerlily’s initial entrance and subsequent alleged encounter, she then started receiving less screen time.
“Many of you have observed, however, I was basically never shown again on TV after that except for me sleeping along in the Hideaway [private suite], segregated from the other Islanders, despite the fact that I did form a strong connection with another Islander who wanted to share a bed with me,” she alleged.
The reality TV star further revealed that she has since not been invited to the end-of-season reunion and “other opportunities to speak [out to the media]” that other dumped Islanders received.
“All of this deeply saddens me,” she wrote in her Twitter statement. “When Love Island reached out to me about being on the show, I was excited since I have always been a passionate advocate for increased diversity in the media. Asian American are one of the least-represented demographics in the entertainment industry and the I was excited by the opportunity to be a positive figure in the community.”
The reality TV program — hosted by Sarah Hyland with narration by Iain Stirling — has yet to publicly address Tigerlily’s allegations, and Us Weekly has reached out to NBC for comment.
The aspiring artist, for her part, believes that she has “held myself with dignity and grace” during her brief tenure in the villa despite “almost no screen time, no proper onscreen goodbye” and being excluded from post-show opportunities.
Love Island USA airs on Peacock Tuesdays through Sundays at 9 p.m. ET.
