Love Island USA fans are finally getting answers about what went down between Nicole Jacky and Kendall Washington after they left the Villa — kind of.
During the reunion, which started streaming on Peacock Monday, August 19, you could feel the tension with Nicole and Kendall when host Ariana Madix checked in with the couple.
“It’s been a bit tough on the outside,” Kendall began, “Just trying to communicate — ”
“Communicate? You have not been communicating,” Nicole fired back. “You never have been.”
When Kendall replied that the couple were trying to “give each other space,” Nicole cut him off again. “After you lied to my face?” she said.
Things got emotional as Kendall hinted at the NSFW video of him nude in a hotel room that leaked the same day the finale aired.
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“I just want to say something. Obviously, the video is not OK. Nobody deserves that. Everybody in this room can agree, it’s f–ked up,” Nicole said. “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.”
Kendall addressed the video via Instagram Stories last month, writing: “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.”
Nicole subsequently accused Kendall of not checking on her or defending her publicly as fans speculated about the video. When the group attempted to defend Kendall, Nicole got more defensive.
“This just puts me in such a f–ked position because I care you about too and I love you and people are questioning that,” Nicole said. “Even though you let the world think we’re not together, we’re still together.”
After finishing in fourth place (and exchanging “I love yous”) during the season 6 finale, which aired in July, Nicole and Kendall told Us Weekly and other outlets that they planned to date long-distance.
“It’s good that she lives in California because I have a lot of family there — my sister and my mom are in California. So it’s a win-win situation when I go there, I get to see Nicole and I also get to see my family,” Kendall, who lives in Dallas, told Us. “I know my family eventually wants me to move back to California so my mom, specifically, is excited that Nicole is from there.”
Nicole subsequently went quiet online. She addressed her absence in a cryptic statement on August 1. “While Love Island was an amazing experience, things have not been easy since leaving the villa,” she wrote. “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.”
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Fans aren’t the only ones who have been looking for answers when it comes to Nicole and Kendall’s status. During an interview earlier this month, Kenny Rodriguez told Us that was the No. 1 question he wanted answered when he reunited with his costars.
“They haven’t really addressed it online [or on] social media. And so coming into that reunion, that was the big question for me — where do they stand [and] if there’s any hate [between them],” Kenny said.
The Love Island USA season 6 reunion is now streaming on Peacock.
