Austin Shepard and Jaden Duggar seemed like a match when they first connected during Casa Amor on Love Island USA Season 7. Although they were voted out of the villa before their showmance could really grow, they still made it clear that they intended to keep seeing each other off-camera. Weeks after the show ended, Austin and Jaden finally gave an update on their relationship status during the reunion — and it sounds like things got messy.
When they left the show in Episode 27, Austin and Jaden both sounded optimistic about their future. “It’s a bittersweet moment. I’m sad to go, but I’m glad I get to walk out of here with Jaden,” Austin said at the time. On July 5, Jaden shared a similar sentiment on TikTok, writing, “Glad to leave together!”
However, during the reunion, which aired on Peacock on Aug. 25, Austin and Jaden confirmed their romance was over after Jaden felt “blindsided in a way” by Austin’s behavior. “I feel like I expect respect and transparency with all of my relationships, and I was happy to leave with you as a couple,” she said.
Apparently, Austin was not exactly open about wanting to date other people. “I did send you a message, saying, ‘If you were planning on dating or hooking up with other people, if you could just let me know.’ But I didn’t care if you did,” Jaden said. “I was like, ‘You can do whatever you want. Just give me the respect of letting me know that.’ And then you didn’t.”
Austin said he never responded to that message (which Jaden and fellow islander Andreina Santos-Marte deny), but he confirmed they had a similar conversation in person.
Apparently, things came to a head when Jaden attended a house party and was “bombarded by girls letting me know that you had just come back from a date.” She told Austin, “I wish you would have told me first and not the whole house. That is an example of you making me look dumb.”
Jaden also claimed Austin “lied” and claimed he had not been on a date, which he denied. “We were dating in the villa, and dating in the villa is dating multiple people,” Austin said. “So dating on the outside… I can still wanna get to know you and go on a date with someone else.”
Their back-and-forth ended with Austin apologizing. “I’m sorry I wasn’t transparent with you when I came out, telling you, ‘Hey, I wanna go on a date with this person and that person.’ I should have been more upfront with you,” he told her.
