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For the past year, the most consistent thing about “Love Island USA” has been the enduring bond of Season 6’s PPG — the fan-favorite trio consisting of Serena Page, Leah Kateb and JaNa Craig — and their partners (PPGM), Kordell Beckham, Miguel Harichi and Kenny Rodriguez, respectively.
However, that harmony came to an abrupt end over the weekend when rumors surfaced that Craig and Rodriguez had broken up. The news shocked fans, especially since the couple had been seen together just hours before speculation began.
At first, the clues were subtle, as folks noticed the pair removed each other’s names from their Instagram bios, and all of PPG and PPGM unfollowed Rodriguez. Social media then quickly lit up, with fans throwing around accusations of cheating and worse as possible reasons behind Craig and Rodriguez’s sudden split.
On Tuesday, the pair finally confirmed their breakup, with Craig speaking out first in an Instagram story that thanked her followers for all of their “love & support.”
“As you know, Kenny and I are no longer together,” she began. “Please know that I have seen all the breakup theories and none have matched up to how terrible, disgusting and disappointing it truly is.”
She continued: “Discovering that someone you loved isn’t who you thought they were and that the relationship you thought you were building hasn’t been genuine since day one has been truly devastating. Thank you for respecting my privacy and please know as a child of God, I will always be okay.”
Rodriguez then followed suit with a statement that read: “The past few days have been incredibly difficult. I’ve been quietly sitting with a lot of emotions and doing my best to process everything privately.”
“Breakups are never easy, especially in the public eye,” he continued. “Sometimes, despite how deeply you care for someone, you come to the hard truth that the relationship was not something that could last long-term.”
The reality star concluded his note saying, “I’ll always be grateful for the time we shared and the memories we created. I release this chapter with no ill will, only a hope that JaNa’s path forward brings her nothing but happiness.”
At the time, neither Craig nor Rodriguez disclosed the exact reason behind their breakup. It wasn’t until further comments from Craig and her friends shed light on the situation and revealed a cause that took many by surprise.
It began with Craig calling her ex a “manipulative liar” for not being completely forthcoming in his breakup statement. “You are not taking accountability and telling people the type of person you really are is insane to me!!” she added. “My first statement was me being nice. Do not piss me off.”
Craig’s friends then jumped online with allegations that Rodriguez had made racist statements, and only stayed with Craig after their reality show for “clout.”
“@kennyrodriguez Put a sock in it ChatGPT headass,” Kateb wrote in an Instagram story. “Tell the truth for once! Racist, clout/money hungry, and a scammer since DAY 1!!!! Tryna make it seem like it’s something it’s not.”
Meanwhile, Olivia “Liv” Walker, another Season 6 cast member, posted a screenshot of Rodriguez’s statement on her story, writing over it, “Your pathetic excuse for a story is laughable … I hope this gives you the clout you always wanted you fucking loser.”
The most telling statement came from Craig’s friend Charmane Smith when she advised women in relationships to go through their partner’s phone and “search keywords like ‘I don’t like Black women. I thought I would get more money from this. I’m faking this relationship. Going on the show would be for clout. I can’t wait to be done with this so I can fuck hella b*tches………’”
To say the allegations about Rodriguez are shocking is an understatement.
This is the same man who bawled tears last summer when Craig tried to break things off after he brought another woman back to the “Love Island” villa to explore another connection. Before then, viewers watched Craig go through hell and high water to find a love match on the show after several failed connections.
When Craig struck up a strong connection with Rodriguez, who made things official after the season ended, it seemed like the former had finally gotten her happily ever after. Fans have had an inside look at Craig and Rodriguez’s relationship since then, consisting of all the romance one might expect — dates, trips together, meeting the family, coordinating schedules since they lived in different cities, and a slew of public declarations of their love for each other.
The two moved into the same apartment building while filming their new Peacock show, “Love Island: Beyond the Villa” (they never moved in together, per Rodriguez’s decision, something Craig openly opposed), and even teased anniversary plans in June.
Hence, fans all over were stunned to learn why Craig called off her nearly yearlong relationship with Rodriguez almost out of the blue. Not only because it’s the complete opposite of what viewers knew about Rodriguez but also because it’s an unfortunate reality they thought Craig managed to avoid after her time on “Love Island USA.”
It’s no secret that Black women often get the short end of the stick on dating shows. If we’re not worried about a lack of options, then we’re hung up on desirability politics that dictate what kind of men, Black and non-Black, find us attractive.
This issue came up on the most recent season of “Love Island USA” when Olandria Carthen, a dark-skinned Black woman, expressed why she was blind to the romantic connection she had with Nicolas “Nic” Vansteenberghe, who’s white, until their time in the villa was almost over.
“Where I’m from in Alabama, a lot of men who look like him are very traditional,” Carthen explained on the “Baby, This Is Keke Palmer” podcast. “So I kinda just closed myself off to that connection, like, ‘You know what, I don’t think I’m your type.’”
Craig expressed a similar sentiment in a Shadow and Act interview last year, revealing that she and Page had a “heart-to-heart” about prospective suitors before Rodriguez entered the villa.
“She’s like, ‘I just don’t think it’s fair that the Black girls don’t get enough fair chance,’” Craig recalled. “Every islander that came in, we were not their top pick. And we just [thought], maybe because we’re Black girls, and the dark-skinned Black girls.”
“It sucked,” she added. “I’m like, ‘Serena, we know what we bring to the table. We’re great personalities. A guy’s going to come in for us.’ That’s when we manifested what we wanted, and that’s when I manifested Kenny.”
She didn’t, though. As evidenced by her outrage, Craig didn’t ask for a partner who’s allegedly racist and would manipulate her into a facade of a relationship for his own gain. She expected a prince who would love, care and cherish her — not violate the trust she had in him.
It’s unfair that Craig has to endure the aftermath of such deception, and in the public eye, no less. Although she has clarity on who Rodriguez really is, she now has a world of trauma to unpack about being intimate and vulnerable with someone who had such ugly, self-serving intentions; someone who allegedly exploited his relationship with a Black woman for a social and financial come-up.
Craig is no doubt the reason “Love Island USA” fans rooted for Rodriguez so much. His attachment to Craig and the smile he kept on her face was enough for people to ship the pair all the way to marriage.
It’s a betrayal on both sides because he deceived viewers, too. All this time, we thought this Black woman was in a happy, fulfilling relationship with someone who genuinely loved her. What a convincing act he put on.
From the cutesy selfies and videos to giving Craig her preferred princess treatment throughout their relationship, Rodriguez had us all fooled. We bought into the romance because it seemed real, and it clearly made Craig happy. It’s disturbing to think how much longer Rodriguez would’ve kept the facade up had Craig not stumbled upon texts of him allegedly disrespecting Black women, her included.
The reason behind their breakup feels like another case of casting oversight in the “Love Island USA” vetting process. The show already faced backlash this summer for incidents of racial slurs involving two Season 7 cast members. Considering the extensive rounds of interviews producers conduct before selecting contestants, it’s baffling to think how someone like Rodriguez could make it through without raising any red flags.
It’s even more troubling that a show that has increased cast diversity still has not figured out how to protect its non-white cast members, especially Black women. The pattern speaks to a history of Black women on reality TV being mistreated and subjected to harmful dynamics. It’s bad enough that we deal with microaggressions and scrutiny from strangers just for being Black. We don’t need nor deserve the same treatment from men claiming to care about us, especially on a highly publicized platform that already exploits our emotional turmoil.
Hopefully Craig finds the means to heal from her painful breakup one day. According to a video she posted on her Instagram story on Thursday, she’s doing “OK” as she closes this chapter of her life. In the meantime, she has a tight-knit army of friends and family ready to ride for her at a moment’s notice. At least Rodriguez couldn’t rob her of that.
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