Only a handful of Black women have been cast across the reality series’ UK and USA installments. Those who had previously joined the show encountered similar experiences dealing with anti-Blackness, rejection, colorism, and other obstacles from their male castmates. The misogynoir, which has a history of running rampant on the show, then manifests across social platforms from fans. Reality show fan bases are known to attack Black women on dating shows by flooding social media with hateful comments and microaggressions that add to society’s distorted perceptions and racist stereotypes. Yet, this season of Love Island USA showed a different collective viewing experience where audiences supported the Black women on the show and came to their defense. It was refreshing, and beautiful to see Love Island fans actually side with a woman of color (Leah Kateb is the breakout star of the season, becoming the first Islander ever to hit over 1 million followers on Instagram) and her Black best friends, Serena and JaNa. But they weren’t the sidekicks, they were the stars — no matter who has more followers. It was a rare sighting for a show like this. Thankfully (regardless of the fans’ support), the unwavering sisterly bonds were enough to be a support system that also empowered all three women to hold the men of the villa accountable for their actions throughout the season.
