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Popular beauty brand Huda Beauty has officially severed its ties with Love Island USA Season 7 contestant Huda Mustafa following a livestream scandal involving a racist slur aimed at fellow cast member Olandria Carthen.
In a statement shared to Instagram on October 31, the cosmetics giant addressed the actions of one of their “recent collaborators” who, they said, “displayed behavior that does not align with our values.”
Mustafa became the subject of widespread criticism after a clip surfaced from a recent Instagram Live with her partner, Louis Russell — known from Netflix’s Too Hot To Handle and Perfect Match. In the viral video, a caller directs a racial slur at Carthen while Mustafa and Russell react with surprise and laughter before hanging up.
“We are truly disappointed by Huda Mustafa’s recent live and we take all forms of racism very seriously,” the company wrote. “While we don’t believe her actions reflect her character, we found them deeply upsetting.”
The brand continued, “We know that many members of our community and team were hurt and offended by these actions.”
According to the statement, Huda Beauty has since “decided to end our partnership and remove any related content from our social platforms and in-store displays.”
“Accountability is incredibly important in moments like this,” they added, “and we hope that meaningful change can come from it.”
Carthen herself addressed the incident in an Instagram Story on October 29, where she condemned the racist language used during the livestream. “Words like that carry generations of pain, and pretending otherwise only keeps the cycle going,” she wrote. “Defending it, laughing about it, or making excuses is even worse.” She vowed to donate to organizations like UNCF, NAACP, and the Thurgood Marshall College Fund, urging others to join her.
This isn’t the first tension between Mustafa and Carthen. During the Season 7 reunion, Carthen called out Mustafa for not doing more to address racist behavior among her fanbase.
In response to the latest controversy, Mustafa issued a more in-depth apology on October 29, after initially downplaying the situation.
“Olandria – it is now clear that this comment was targeted at you, and I apologize for my immediate reaction,” Mustafa wrote. “My reaction in that moment came from being caught off guard, not from finding the word or situation funny. It was a nervous, uncomfortable reaction that I recognize was inappropriate.”
She also pledged a donation to the NAACP, encouraging others to follow suit.
