Ever since the Love Island USA season six finale last month, the top three couples have been parading their love around the country through various trips, podcasts, and ad campaigns sponsored by Cheez-Its. But the fourth runner-up couple, Kendall Washington and Nicole Jacky, had a very different experience when integrating back into the world.
Just hours before the finale, an alleged NSFW clip of Washington leaked on social media, which quickly went viral while the couple was still in the villa. Then the season ended, and the Islanders were given back their phones to learn just how popular the season had gotten. This is when Washington learned of the video and, according to what he said at the reunion.
Over the next few weeks, while the other couples were posting about their love stories on social, there was virtually no evidence that Kendall and Nicole were still together, that is, until the reunion. “I haven’t ended things; we’re still together,” Jacky said at the start of the show, before Washington added, “It’s been a bit tough coming on the outside. Just trying to communicate and work through things.” This is where things got messy. Jacky interrupted, “Communicate? You have not been communicating. You never have been.” Soon, the couple had to adress the elephant in the room: the leaked video.
Jacky then stated, “I just want to say something. Obviously, the video is not okay. Nobody deserves that. Everybody in this room can agree it’s f*cked 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 that it was in the hotel room before you go on the show to someone on a dating app is crazy.”
It’s important to keep in mind that this moment happened minutes after the two of them had gotten their phones back for the first time in over a month, which is why Washington said he panicked. He responded, “I 100 percent should’ve been honest with Nicole in that moment, but I honestly wasn’t ready. My life was turned upside down and all I wanted to do was to have you there.” The couple then went back and forth about the situation, with many of the Islanders coming to defend Washington while also hearing out Jacky, though their status was left unresolved.
Then, early on Wednesday morning, both Islanders confirmed they had broken up, with Washington being the one to pull the plug. “I have decided to end things with Nicole,” Washington wrote in an Instagram story as detailed by Vulture. “It reached a point where it was not healthy for us to continue the relationship. I still love and care for Nicole. I’ve never developed such strong feelings for a woman in my life. I have no regrets for the connection I made with her in the villa and it was real. She does not deserve any hate. Please stop with the negative comments/DMs. We’re taking this time to focus on our mental health. Thank you guys.”
Jacky’s post featured more detail: “On August 18, Kendall and I agreed our relationship was worth working on, and we were making plans for me to visit him in Dallas soon. However, today, on August 20, he called and ended things. While I understand and respect his decision, it’s hard to process this one. I opened up to him in the villa, and still love and care for him now. I’m struggling mentally and all I ask for is privacy during this time,” she added.
It seems like the reunion was the final straw for the two of them. Apparently, some relationships can only exist inside of a vacuum, or at least a deserted island away from everyone else. Now, they two can move on in peace… until they secure some more brand deals.