Iris Kendall Breaks Silence on Love Island USA Split with Pepe Garcia-Gonzalez
Hi, I’m Riley Carter, your guide through the chaos of celebrity drama, fashion fails, and reality TV meltdowns. Today, we’re diving into the latest *Love Island USA* heartbreak that’s got fans scrolling, speculating, and side-eyeing their screens.
Let’s just say it like it is: relationships forged in a villa under 24/7 surveillance were never going to be easy. But when *Love Island USA* season seven contestant Iris Kendall and Pepe Garcia-Gonzalez called it quits a month after finishing fourth on the show, fans were caught off guard—especially since the pair had just gone exclusive during the reunion special.
Iris, 25, finally broke her silence in an exclusive statement to E! News, admitting she’d “hoped to keep this private,” but felt compelled to address the split after Pepe announced the news on August 28. “The connection that I formed has ended, and while it isn’t how I would have imagined, I will always value the unique experience that we shared,” she said, adding that the transition has been tough but that she’s moving forward with “hope, gratitude, and positivity.”
Pepe, 27, echoed similar sentiments when he spoke to TMZ around the same time, revealing he’s not letting the noise get to him. “It’s a tough thing when there’s a lot of eyes on you 24/7,” he said. “It’s stressful. Being in the limelight isn’t always the best thing in the world.” He also made it clear he’s not rushing into anything new anytime soon, focusing instead on “next steps, next opportunities, and the next things that I wanna do for fun.”
Their split rumors first sparked just hours before the reunion aired on August 25, when fans noticed the couple had unfollowed each other on Instagram. But during the pre-taped special, they confirmed they had made their relationship exclusive, even if they weren’t ready to slap a label on it just yet. “We’ve had conversations about what dating looks like to one another,” Pepe said, “and it looks very different.”
Iris, meanwhile, admitted she was ready to take things to the next level. “I think you have to ask someone to be your girlfriend,” she said. “I feel like we’re going in a good direction.”
So what went wrong? While neither party has given a detailed breakdown of their split, the pressure of post-show life and public scrutiny likely played a role. And they’re not alone—other *Love Island* couples have seen similar post-show turbulence.
Take *Love Island UK* season four’s Ellie Brown and Charlie Brake, who left the villa together in 2018 but eventually split. Ellie recently got engaged to a mystery man in July 2025, one year after going public with her new relationship.
On the flip side, *Love Island UK* season 11’s Uma Jammen and Wil Anderson are thriving. After Uma left the island with Wil in 2024, the couple got engaged in July 2025. “We’ve been sitting on a bad boy piece of information,” Uma wrote on Instagram, flashing her ring. She also revealed that staying on the show after Wil was dumped wasn’t even an option: “I want to be with Wil.”
Meanwhile, *Love Island USA* season seven’s Amaya Espinal and Bryan Arenales also found themselves in breakup territory, unfollowing each other on social media before officially calling it quits two days after the reunion.
So, what’s the takeaway? Reality TV love is real, but it’s also complicated. And for Iris and Pepe, the magic might have faded once the cameras stopped rolling. But hey, at least they got a summer they’ll never forget—and a whole new fanbase watching their every move.
Anyway, that’s the deal. Do with it what you will.
Sources: Celebrity Storm and E! News
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