‘Love Island USA’ stars Nicole and Kendall announce split (2024)

Despite the Season Six finale of “Love Island USA” airing a month ago, viewers are still speculating about cast dynamics following the reunion episode on Aug. 19.

And now, one of the couples from the popular Peaco*ck dating show have called it quits.

Nicole Jacky and Kendall Washington have evidently called it quits.In a post on Aug. 20, one day after the couple appeared on the reunion episode, Nicole shared that Kendall had broken things off.

"On August 18th, Kendall and I agreed our relationship was worth working on, and we were making plans for me to visit him in Dallas soon," she wrote in an Instagram story post. "However, today, on August 20th, he called and ended things."

She added that while she understands and respects 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," she concluded. "I’m struggling mentally and all I ask for is privacy during this time."

Kendall also shared his side of their split in his own Instagram story.

“I have decided to end things with Nicole,” he began. “I reached a point where it was not healthy for us to continue the relationship.”

He wrote that he still loves and cares for Nicole, explaining that he never developed “such strong feelings for a woman in my life.”

Kendall added that he has no regrets for their connection that they made in the villa, calling it “real.”

“She does not deserve any hate,” he wrote. “Please stop with the negative comments/DMs. We’re taking this time to focus on our mental health.”

The former couple — who came in fourth place behind winners Serena Page and Kordell Beckham, runner-ups Leah Kateb and Miguel Harichi and third place finishers JaNa Craig and Kenny Rodriguez — had their social media interactions dissected by viewers leading up to the reunion on Aug. 19. Fans speculated about whether they'd called it quits.

Here's a look at their journey on “Love Island USA” Season Six.

What happened between Nicole and Kendall on ‘Love Island USA’ Season 6?

Kendall, a 27-year-old from Dallas, Texas, had a slightly difficult time at the start of the season. After he and Hannah Smith were coupled up together in the premiere, they unexpectedly hit it off and seemed to be a good match. But after Kendall questioned if Hannah had feelings for another islander, he started to hold back and focused on pursuing other options.

Nicole, a 26-year-old medical sales rep, then made a steamy entrance into the villa when she had to introduce herself by kissing two islanders. She kissed Kendall, who was blindfolded during this encounter, and their chemistry was instant.

The two went on a date on the beach, where they bonded over their upbringings and mutual interests like “Star Wars.” Kordell and Hakeem White also expressed interest in Nicole, but when it was time to couple up, she chose Kendall.

Nicole and Kendall quickly became one of the strongest couples in the villa — but they faced another test when bombshell Miguel Harichi arrived. Nicole revealed she wanted to get to know Miguel, which upset Kendall. In response, he publicly announced he wanted to keep his options open in the “Stick or Twist” challenge.

Kendall and Nicole later discussed their feelings and realized they only wanted to focus on each other.

Still, when it was time to decide if he wanted to go to Casa Amor — when the boys and girls are separated to meet new groups of bombshells — Kendall, along with the rest of the boys, chose to leave the main villa. In Casa Amor, he seemed uninterested in getting to know the new women and stayed loyal to Nicole. However, he encouraged some of the boys to forget about their connections back in the main villa. In one emotional episode, Nicole and the other OG girls received clips of the OG boys’ behavior in Casa, including Kendall egging on their reckless actions.

Back in the main villa, Serena and Kaylor Martin called Kendall out for not supporting them. Nicole also addressed his behavior with him, but they swiftly moved past the issue.

In the final episodes of the season, Kendall and Nicole enjoyed a trip to the Hideaway and agreed to be exclusive. They met each other’s families via video call, and Kendall’s sister implied that he was falling in love, which surprised Nicole.

Kendall waited until their final date to fully express his feelings. After spending the day at sea parasailing, they had a picnic and reflected on their journey. Kendall told Nicole he loved her, but she did not express that back.

When they returned to the villa, Nicole cried as she explained to the girls why she didn’t feel ready to tell Kendall she loved him. Meanwhile, he expressed his disappointment to the boys.

He was more understanding when he penned his love letter to Nicole in the finale. Kendall told Nicole he wouldn’t pressure her and would wait however long it took to hear those three meaningful words. But he only needed to wait a few minutes. Nicole tearfully told Kendall she loved him during her speech.

Although they didn’t win, the pair appeared to be content with their time on the show and were looking forward to life outside of the villa in their exit interview with host Ariana Madix.

Are Nicole and Kendall still together now?

The day after the finale aired, rumors began circulating that Kendall and Nicole broke up. While the rest of the final four couples returned to social media and gushed about their significant others, Kendall and Nicole were noticeably silent.

The two gave an update on their relationship in the reunion episode that aired Aug. 19.

When host Ariana Madix asked how they’ve been doing, Nicole said to Kendall, “You can answer that one.”

“It’s been a bit tough coming on the outside. But just trying to communicate,” Kendall said.

“Communicate? You have not been communicating. And you never have been,” Nicole replied.

“I want to make sure we're giving each other space,” Kendall said.

“After you lied to my face ...” Nicole said before the episode cut to commercial.

When the episode returned, Kendall continued: “When I got out the villa, I'm just going to say something happened. I should have told Nicole the full truth when it happened.”

Nicole then jumped in and appeared to address an explicit video of Kendall that leaked on social media following the finale episode in July.

“Obviously the video is not OK, nobody deserves that,” Nicole said. “However, I think when you say you love somebody in the moment, and when you're telling me about something, you need to be honest. Instead of saying it's from years ago from somebody you trusted, an ex girlfriend, and then I find out that it was in the hotel room before you go on the show to someone on a dating app, is crazy.”

The conversation devolves into an argument, in which other cast members defend Kendall or defend Nicole.

Nicole then says, “We haven't ended things, we're still together.”

“All I want to do is mend the lie I said to you that led to this whole s---show,” Kendall replies.

When Madix asks if she still wishes to be with Kendall, Nicole replies, “That’s all I ever wanted.”

In her Aug. 20 post, Nicole said they had still been together at the time of the reunion but that Kendall ended things following the episode.

Kendall also confirmed that he split with Nicole in his own Instagram story post.