Kendall Washington and Nicole Jacky were the talk of the town heading into the long-awaited Love Island: USA season 6 reunion special, with fans questioning whether they were still together after the show came to a close, due to their decision to go MIA on social media. With said reunion special being jam-packed with juicy drama, it is safe to say that the duo is still the talk of the town, for better or worse…
Despite placing fourth during the Love Island: USA season 6 finale, Kendall and Nicole were arguably the strongest couple to stem from the series, telling each other “I love you” towards the end of the show. How sweet is that?
While things were smooth sailing between Kendall and Nicole in the villa — well, except for when Nicole decided to pursue Miguel Harichi — as soon as they returned to the United States, Kendall had a NSFW video leaked that caused quite a bit of controversy within his current relationship. While it is undoubtedly a traumatizing experience having such an intimate moment out on the internet, Kendall took to his Instagram story to address said video amid the drama, and he took the situation like a champ:
“What a way to get my phone back y’all. I just want to address the content that came out from my past. That was something I shared to someone in confidence and trust. It’s unfortunate that it’s no longer private, but it is what it is. I want to thank you all for the calls/texts to support me during this time. I am so grateful for my Love Island experience, and I love you all for tuning in to watch my journey. Excited for what’s next.”
Taking a slightly different approach, Nicole decided to take a break from social media amid this fiasco, returning to share the following message via her Instagram story a little while later:
“Some of you have noticed that I’ve been quiet and not posting much, so just wanted to provide an update. While Love Island was an amazing experience, things have not been easy since leaving the villa. There’s much more to share on what has happened since coming home, and for now, I’ve been taking time to process — these are real feelings and my real life. Thanks for understanding. Love y’all.”
While fans of the Love Island franchise assumed that Kendall and Nicole were privately dealing with the backlash of the video — taking a step out of the spotlight to prioritize Kendall’s mental health, while Nicole serves as his support system — viewers found out during the Love Island: USA season 6 reunion special yesterday (Aug. 19) that there was even more behind-the-scenes beef between the pair.
What happened between Kendall Washington and Nicole Jacky at the Love Island: USA season 6 reunion special?
Immediately slamming Kendall for his communication skills (or lack thereof) — accusing the San Diego, California native of “lying to her face” — Nicole decided to publicly address her issues with Kendall during the Love Island: USA season 6 reunion special, a decision that caused quite a bit of controversy within the Love Island fandom.
Viewers quickly learned that the drama between the two lovebirds reached far beyond the video mentioned above — dealing with an inability to tell the truth instead — as Nicole shared that Kendall told her it was leaked by an ex-girlfriend, when it was actually leaked by someone on a dating app. Allegedly, Kendall sent the video to someone just a few days before Love Island: USA began, and his inability to be honest with Nicole has broken trust within their relationship, possibly beyond repair:
“I just want to say something. Obviously, the video is not okay. Nobody deserves that. Everybody in this room can agree it’s f****d up, however, I think if you say you love somebody, in the moment when you’re telling me about something, you need to be honest. Instead of saying it’s from years ago to someone you trusted, an ex-girlfriend, and then I find out two days later from JaNa [Craig] that it was in the hotel room before you go on the show to someone on a dating app is crazy.”
Although the conversation ended with the pair bickering with one another, Kendall and Nicole confirmed that they still a couple, and trying to work things out. “It’s either going make us really, really strong, or it’s going to break us,” Nicole exclusively told E! News, but we are not feeling confident that they can bounce back after the hate that one party has been receiving post-reunion.
Viewers are siding with Kendall Washington after the Love Island: USA season 6 reunion special
While Kendall undoubtedly made a mistake by sending the NSFW video to someone soooo soon before beginning his Love Island: USA journey, fans of the Love Island franchise are surprisingly siding with the medical device salesman, accusing Nicole’s behavior during the Love Island: USA season 6 reunion to be manipulative and cruel.
While Kendall’s life was turned upside down when said video was leaked, Nicole still managed to make the situation about herself, playing the victim card rather than recognizing that her significant other lied about the context of the video because he was embarrassed and taken aback by the whole thing:
“She’s looking for a reason to be mad so she can break up with him 💀”
“Wow this awful thing happened to you, but I’m the victim in it? Like WTF?”
“When she said people were bullying her I was like where? I ain’t seen nobody say a thing about her character, only seen people ask if they’re together. I think she honestly doesn’t want him and she doesn’t wanna receive backlash.”
Others flamed Nicole for bringing up the situation so publicly, when this felt like a conversation that could have been had when the cameras were not rolling:
“If you genuinely loved him, you would have never brought it up. Just say y’all are still working through things. Why say anything about the video? Just traumatizing the man all over again”
“Why would Nicole purposely wait until the reunion to talk to Kendall? I understand the frustration, but girl… be fr”
“Girl you had 3 weeks to get all that off your chest 😭😭😭”
While the situation has been quite polarizing, do you think that Nicole is being selfish, or do you think that she is valid in her hurt and frustration? Regardless of what you believe, to see relive the oh-so awkward conversation for yourself, you can stream the Love Island: USA season 6 reunion special via Peacock as we speak.
With a massive fight between Aaron Evans and Kaylor Martin as well, it was certainly one for the books!