We’re Still Talking About the Cold Sore Drama on “Love Island USA”

Just when you thought the “Love Island USA” drama was winding down, it looks like one castmate is stirring back up one of the most unexpected controversies on the show. In a recent interview Speedy Morman, Ace Greene addressed the infamous cold sore speculations from Season 7 — unfortunately adding to the cold sore stigma rather than squashing it.

Ace took it upon himself to tell Speedy that there were several cold sores in the villa, adding that he saw “a couple of them” during filming. When asked how he avoided the alleged outbreak, Ace replied, “…I don’t give a damn if we on a show, I’m gonna ask you, ‘Yo do you have anything, anything you want to let me know?’ or stuff like that. But you ain’t see no cockroaches around my lips.” While we support the practice of safe kissing and transparency when it comes to contagious infections, the stigmatization is uncalled for.

To recap how we got here, following the June 15 episode of “Love Island USA,” fans took to social media to express concern over a reddish bump on Nic’s Vansteenberghe’s bottom lip. The bump was visible several times during the episode and in the prior episode’s “Aftersun” footage. Viewers were particularly heated about the alleged cold sore after the “Got Wood?” challenge where our Love Islanders-turned-lumberjacks were encouraged to make out with multiple contestants. “WTF was on [Nic]’s mouth and everybody’s making out and kissing him and shit. When he kissed Olandria, I wanted to die . . . I was like do not give my good sis that cold sore,” influencer Mariah Rose said in a TikTok video.

Fans were also been quick to point out the presence of other “bumps” among the islanders, particularly on Austin’s face, raising questions about pre-show health screening and the general safety risks of kissing so many people. “Guys, we have to talk about all the bumps going around Love Island. No one should be swapping spit like that and the proof is starting to show. There’s bumps everywhere,” stated one TikToker. “Why are the islanders getting so many pimples and cold sores,” another wrote, captioning the video “who’s got the herps?”

To be clear, no one on the show had “the herps” officially (also, please don’t call it that). It still has not been confirmed by Nic or any other accused “Love Island” contestant that they have the herpes simplex virus type 1, or oral herpes, which is known to cause contagious cold sores (though one TikTok sleuth did go as far as to ask ChatGPT for analysis). That said, Ace still took it upon himself to tell Speedy that there were several cold sores in the villa, further adding to the herpes stigma without any real confirmation.

It’s important to note that while cold sores are always a sign of a herpes simplex infection, per the Cleveland Clinic, “not every bump or irritation on your lip is a cold sore.” It could be a pimple, which are not at all contagious. And regardless of the potential diagnosis, I’d like to petition to end the cold sore shame right here. There’s enough herpes stigmatization in the world. And the truth is, 50 to 80 percent of American adults have oral herpes (HSV-1), according to Johns Hopkins Medicine.

No one deserves to be shamed for it either. Most people don’t even know they have herpes until symptoms become visible. In other words, the virus is hard to avoid. Even with the standard STI panel reportedly required by “Love Island,” the herpes virus can slip through.

A full STI panel typically includes testing for HIV, syphilis, hepatitis B and C, gonorrhea, and chlamydia, said Adrienne Ton, ARNP, a family nurse practitioner and the director of clinical operations at TBD Health in a previous interview with PS. “Infections like herpes and human papillomavirus (HPV) aren’t generally included in the full panel,” added Suzy Lipinski, MD, an ob-gyn at Pediatrix Medical Group.

Now, if you’re asking whether Nic should have been kissing the other contestants with an alleged cold sore and otherwise clean bill of health, it’s tough to say. If production was concerned about the health of the villa, it was just as much their responsibility to assess the bump and sit Nic out of the day’s kissing challenge as it was for him to sit himself out. On the other hand, statistically at least half the house already had herpes . . . whether they knew it or not. My best advice for future contestants? Kiss responsibly, don’t stigmatize, and carry Abreva.

Alexis Jones (she/her) is the senior health and fitness editor at PS. In her seven years of editorial experience, Alexis has developed passions and areas of expertise around mental health, women’s health and fitness, racial and ethnic disparities in healthcare, and chronic conditions. Prior to joining PS, she was the senior editor at Health magazine. Her other bylines can be found at Women’s Health, Prevention, Marie Claire, and more.