'Love Island' star JaNa Craig breaks silence on Kenny Rodriguez split in scathing posts
JaNa Craig has confirmed her split from her "Love Island USA" boyfriend Kenny Rodriguez – indicating that the truth is more "disgusting" than any of the speculation that has flooded the internet.
"Thank you for all your love & support. It means the world to me," she began her Instagram story on Tuesday, July 28. "As you know, Kenny and I are no longer together. Please know that I have seen all the breakup theories and none have matched up to how terrible, disgusting and disappointing it truly is."
"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," Craig added. "Thank you for respecting my privacy and please know as a child of God, I will always be okay."
Less than an hour later, Rodriguez came out with his own white-text-on-black-background post.
"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," he wrote. "Breakups are never easy, especially in the public eye. 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."
He concluded: "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."
Social media feud escalates as JaNa calls Kenny a 'manipulative liar'
Craig appeared to be incensed by her former beau's response and fired back a response on her Instagram story: "You manipulative liar. You not taking accountability and telling people the type of person you really are is insane to me!! My first statement was me being nice. Do not piss me off."
She then harnessed her friends' support and re-posted their scathing Instagram stories.
Leah Kateb, who'd unleashed a few social media comments earlier in the day, insinuated Rodriguez's statement was a ChatGPT creation and added, "Tell the truth for once! Racist, clout/money hungry and a scammer since DAY 1!!!!"
Meanwhile, Olivia "Liv" Walker screenshot Rodriguez's statement and wrote, "I can't even put into words how good of a person NayNay is and how hard it is (to) watch her go through something like this. @kennyrodriguez I hope this gives you the clout you always wanted you … loser."
What happened between JaNa and Kenny?
Prior to her Instagram statement, Craig kept silent on social media as fans went on a desperate search for answers about one of their favorite "Love Island" couples.
Speculation about a possible rift in the beloved Season 6 cast kicked off on July 27 when Craig, 28, unfollowed Rodriguez, 25, and removed almost all of her content with him from her Instagram grid.
Fan accounts and close watchers of reality TV-related drama saw this move and sounded the alarm about the possible uncoupling, prompting a close watch of other "Beyond the Villa" cast members' social media accounts. "Red alert ring the alarm," journalist Christina Cocca wrote alongside a post with screenshots of Craig's Instagram.
Other fans dug up footage of the estranged couple at a birthday party the night before and scoured the clips for clues.
Leah, Serena, other 'Love Island' stars unfollowed Kenny
Then Craig and Rodriguez's fellow islanders began taking sides. The Instagram accounts for her fellow PPG (the self-appointed "Power Puff Gang" or "Powerpuff Girls" trio) members, Kateb and Serena Page, and their respective partners, Miguel Harichi and Kordell Beckham, all unfollowed Rodriguez.
Most of the cast of their Peacock spinoff "Love Island: Beyond the Villa," currently in its first season, are also not following Rodriguez. Peacock did not respond to Paste BN's request for comment.
Finalists from "Love Island USA's" breakout season last year, Craig and Rodriguez have been in a relationship since they left the villa in July 2024. They confirmed their relationship status in the Season 6 reunion, which dropped the following month.
On Peacock's "Love Island" spinoff, which was filmed in the spring, Rodriguez and Craig are navigating their relationship while living in close quarters for the first time in Los Angeles.
JaNa and Kenny said communication was their strength
While speaking with Paste BN in separate interviews on July 8, Rodriguez and Craig opened up about navigating a relationship that is also intertwined with their careers as influencers.
"We're very communicative when it comes to those things: what we feel comfortable putting out there (and) what we don't. And I think that's just the sign of a healthy relationship," Rodriguez said.
Craig, seated with Page on one side and Kateb on the other, admitted that it has worked best to keep some things for themselves when fans demand more couples' content.
"I feel like your relationship is very private. You know, just you and your partner communicating 24/7," Craig said.
"Whereas, publicly, it's like putting yourself out there, understanding what your viewers and your supporters want and navigating through that and whatever you're comfortable with."
(This story was updated to add new information.)