Ofcom received over 1,000 complaints about “misogynistic” and “bullying” behaviour by contestants on Love Island last week.
In the regulator’s weekly audience report, figures confirmed that over half of the complaints were made about last Friday’s episode (18 July) of the dating show, which saw Harrison Solomon, 22, and Lauren Wood, 26, leave the Mallorcan villa together.
Harrison had struck up a connection with American Toni Laites before falling for Lauren in Casa Amor. Unbeknownst to Toni, Harrison slept with Lauren twice, but later rekindled with Toni without informing either of what had transpired in between.
Women’s Aid released a statement the same week, calling out the show for “reinforcing culture trivialising violence against women and girls”.
The report stated that regarding the 18 July episode, 280 complaints related to “alleged misogynistic behaviour by Harrison, Harry and Dejon” and 247 complaints related to “alleged bullying behaviour and expressed concern for the mental wellbeing of Shakira”.
On 20 July, Ofcom said the “majority of complaints related to alleged misogynistic behaviour by Dejon”. Meanwhile, earlier in the week on 15 July, 107 complaints related to “alleged misogynistic behaviour by Harrison”, 44 complaints related to “how Lauren was portrayed in the edit of the episode” and “34 complaints related to alleged bullying behaviour toward Shakira and Toni”.
The Thursday (17 July) episode again saw 69 complaints related to “alleged misogynistic behaviour by Harrison” and “27 complaints related to alleged bullying behaviour and expressed concern for the mental wellbeing of Shakira.”
Over the years, Love Island has introduced extensive duty of care protocols, including providing training and information to Islanders prior to entering the Villa with regards to language, behaviour and understanding mutual respect in relationships.
“All Islanders will complete video training and guidance across a range of topics to include mutually respectful behaviour in relationships, behaviour patterns associated with controlling and coercive behaviour and language around disability, sexuality, race and ethnicity, and microaggressions before they meet their fellow Islanders,” a statement on the ITV website reads.
After implementing a social media ban for active contestants in 2023, welfare chats, psychiatrists, and “comprehensive psychological support” were also embedded into the show’s engagement with participants.
“I pride myself on standing up for women and being a protector,” Harrison told MailOnline upon his exit from the show. “I have seen the backlash and it’s hard to digest. I would disagree with a lot of it in terms of my respect for women, I do respect women.
“The worst has been from Women’s Aid. I know myself and the girls on the show too. Toni said she knows I’m not a bad person, just went about situations in the wrong way, but the Women’s Aid statement wasn’t nice… It’s not nice coming out of the villa to my mum upset by that, so I would say that’s been the hardest.”
He apologised to the “women I’ve hurt”, saying: “I got it wrong and the back and forth between the two connections caused more harm than I ever intended. It wasn’t ever an ego thing. I am not proud of how I handled things, and I’m not going to make excuses.
“I just want to own it. If people can give me the space to grow from it, I will do everything I can to be better, and that’s the only thing I can do. There is no handbook for how to be on a show like Love Island. It’s instincts and intentions. I got some of it right, but I know I got a lot of it wrong, and I know that now.”
The Independent has contacted ITV for comment.
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