Ofcom give update on Love Island’s bullying and racism complaints after show was slammed with over 3,000 from fans
LOVE Island has been cleared by Ofcom after more than 3,600 complaints were made against the show during the latest series.
Fans flocked to the broadcasting watchdog to complain about scenes in the series, which aired over this summer.
This included explosive arguments and complaints about behaviour of some stars towards others.
One episode saw 1,832 viewers coming forward angry over a screaming match following a ‘Graftie Awards’ game.
Others accused islanders of ‘bullying’ and ‘racist’ comments towards their fellow villa-mates in previous episodes
Among the incidents, Joey Essex and Sean Stone were accused of ‘ganging up’ on Mimii Ngulube and Josh Odukoya over their relationship.
In another, Jess White was accused by viewers of ‘bullying’ love rival Harriett Blackmore.
In total, 3,645 complaints were made about the show, but Ofcom has now revealed no further action will be pursued.
A statement released by Ofcom (via The Mirror) said: “We carefully assessed complaints about this series on a range of issues including alleged bullying and racism.
“We recognise that emotionally charged or confrontational scenes can upset some viewers.
“But, in our view, negative behaviour in the villa was not shown in a positive light, and contestants were seen supporting or apologising to each other.”
They added they had “taken into account the format being well established” with “viewers expecting to see highs and lows as relationships are tested”.
Love Island has never been short of a controversial moment or two, with past years seeing moments racking up thousands of complaints in one go.
The 2021 series collected the highest amount of complaints overall – with 36,324 people speaking out about the show to Ofcom.
24,763 alone were based around Faye Winter’s ongoing arguments with then-boyfriend Teddy Soares.
Love Island's biggest Ofcom complaints
Love Island has been hit with thousands of complaints over the years - here are the most moaned about moments
Dani’s tears: in 2018, Ofcom received 2,644 complaints when Dani Dyer was left in floods of tears over Jack Fincham during the Casa Amor. Viewers felt the show had been manipulated to make it appear Jack was going to cheat, when in fact he wasn’t. And poor Dani didn’t learn the truth for days.
Maura fury: Although she later won over the public, Maura Higgins got off to a bad start in 2019. After arriving as a bombshell, she made a beeline for Tommy Fury – who was coupled up with Molly-Mae Hague – and tried to kiss him while straddling him on a daybed. 709 people accused her actions as ‘sexual harassment’.
Faye explodes: The 2021 series of Love Island remains the most complained series about yet. 4,330 complaints were made to Ofcom after Faye Winter received a postcard from Casa Amor, which appeared to show her fella Teddy Soares kissing a bombshell. But a whopping 24,763 complaints flooded in when Faye came face-to-face with Teddy again. Faye’s shocking outburst even sparked a reaction from male domestic abuse charity, ManKind Inititive, who branded her ‘unacceptable’.
Bish bash: The following year, the fallout from Movie Night sparked 3,617 Ofcom complaints. Fans of the show were horrified by Luca Bish’s harsh reaction when Gemma Owen was shown speaking to bombshell Billy Brown.
Muggy Mitch: Almost 1,000 Ofcom complaints flooded in last year in the final week of Love Island. Viewers were unimpressed with Mitchel Taylor’s treatment of Abi Moores and felt he was ‘targeting’ her. Fans even urged Love Island bosses to check on Abi’s ‘mental health and welfare’.