Intro for July 4, 2025

Dear Gossips,   

Netflix’s #1 movie is Kpop Demon Hunters, and its popularity has yet to peak because word of mouth is still building. The soundtrack is soaring up the charts and it became official yesterday- Netflix will submit the song “Golden” for Oscar consideration, to contend in the Best Original Song category. 

Also this week, BTS officially confirmed that they are working on their comeback, with the album due for release next spring. So it’s been a good stretch for East Asian representation in pop culture… right? 

Please. When have they ever let us have nice things without a cost. 

Maria mentioned Liam Gallagher’s anti-Asian racist slur yesterday in Celebrity Social Media and his half-ass apology. What might be even more alarming is how that just came and went, with so many Oasis fans being all like, OK we forgive you, all good! Because his racism stayed in the headlines for merely a day, replaced immediately by news about the Oasis tour and merch and whatever – that’s what The Hollywood Reporter was talking about related to the band last night. Clothing collabs, yay!

And then … Love Island. 

Cierra Ortega, who came in as one of the first bombshells to enter the villa at the end of the first episode of this season, has been called out for using anti-Asian racist slurs on two social media posts, one from 2015 and one that’s more recent. This is blowing up online, and the Love Island accounts are getting bombed with demands to boot her from the villa. 

Cierra’s actually the second islander this season to be pulled up for her racist past. You’ll recall, Yulissa was removed from the villa after the first episode when it came out that she’d made anti-Black racist slurs on a podcast. Cierra’s old posts surfaced a few days ago and the scandal has been steadily growing on socials ever since. The difference here is that Yulissa was so early in the season the audience hadn’t taken to her. So letting her go isn’t as much of a dilemma for production. Cierra is one of the main characters of season seven, and she’s the only girl who’s in closed off relationship. There are reportedly crisis talks happening right now at Peacock to figure out what to do. Will they actually end her time on the show? Will there be some kind of in-show apology? There’s a new episode tonight and another on Sunday. Also, what’s the representation among the producers and the decision-makers on this show. Like are there any East Asians at that table discussing this situation? Will they have a voice as the production team considers the options? 

I watch Love Island USA. I am of East Asian descent. I am deeply offended by both Liam Gallagher’s tweet and by Cierra’s posts. It was profoundly disappointing to see how quickly people have just moved on from Liam’s racism. And I am also not convinced that some of the people, not all but some, who are calling for Cierra’s cancellation are doing it in allyship with the Asian community and not to advance the opportunities of others they like more on the show. It’s hard for me not to connect the two examples, Liam and Cierra, and wonder about how seriously, or not, anti-Asian racism is taken since the two offences occurred back to back and we saw, in real time, how Liam’s behaviour was shrugged over so quickly. 

What a great week it’s been for anti-Asian racism!

Yours in gossip, 

Lainey