The Love Island world has been left reeling after a viral clip emerged on a livestreaming site, leaving its stars, Huda Mustafa and Louis Russell, facing a barrage of criticism. The footage has spread like wildfire on sites like TikTok and X and has left Huda and Louis in hot water after a racist term was used about fellow Love Islander Olandria Carthen.
The Clip That Set Social Media On Fire
In this video, Huda and Louis are lounging in a live broadcast when a caller, allegedly a child, begins to speak with a child-like voice and says, “Olandria is a n***er.” The natural reaction to this abusive language would have been shock and a need to terminate the broadcast. However, a small moment of laughter let a digital firestorm break out.
The footage led to swift labeling from fans as “gross,” “tone deaf,” and “embarrassing,” especially given that Huda and Louis are both a part of and have made a career out of being in this reality TV world. Apologies were in high demand.
Olandria Carthen Responds: “Words Like That Carry Generations Of Pain”
Breaking her silence, Olandria Carthen made a compelling statement that left no excuses.
“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,” she stated.
“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.”
But Olandria didn’t stop with words. She took action.
“While I anticipate this will result in surface level apologies that fade in a few days, l’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 closing, she promised to provide links in which people can donate to HBCUs and underfunded resources for Black students. The internet’s reaction? “She is classy, firm, and unbothered.”
Huda Mustafa Claps Back At “Clickbait” Claims
As criticism escalated, Huda Mustafa took to her Instagram Stories to defend herself against allegations that a viral video clip had misrepresented her.
“‘Ya’ll 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,’” she wrote.
“The laugh that people observed is not a laugh of amusement but a laugh of embarrassment,” Huda says.
“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 ALL i heard was the bad word. it was awkward and inappropriate, whoever said it is in the wrong.”
However, her defensive tone got a mixed response. While some viewers could relate to how she felt in that moment, others felt that she made excuses for herself and didn’t really take responsibility.
Louis Russell Joins In: “Twisted Narratives”
Louis Russell is not a person to sit back and let others speak for him. In his own posts on this controversy, Louis Russell condemned the internet for “twisting narratives” to portray himself and Huda as racist. “The internet just wants to hate on Huda. That’s all this is.” Louis, who made sure all were aware that he is Black, claimed that trolls were attacking Huda unjustly. “
He insisted that their response had to do with surprise and not condoning this term because this took this moment out of context.”
