Olandria Carthen put her love life on display during Season 7 of Love Island USA, but now that she’s left the villa behind, she’s a lot more private about her relationship. Carthen has been in a relationship with Nic Vansteenberghe since coupling up on the show, and despite frequent public outings and social media clips, there have been persistent rumors that the romance may have fizzled out since the reality show. Carthen addressed the speculation about whether she and Vansteenberghe are actually an item by turning the focus on their overzealous fans.
When asked about the consistent theorizing over her relationship status in her June 18 Cosmopolitan profile, Carthen spoke directly to the Nicolandria doubters: “Why is it your business? Are your bills getting paid? Are you touch-deprived? Go get a man; go do something with your life. Why does it matter if me and Nic are together?”
Carthen pointed to a recent uproar during Coachella, where Love Island fans overanalyzed the fact that both Carthen and Vansteenberghe were at the music festival, but not constantly together.
“When we were at Coachella, people in the comments were like, ‘Oh, I just needed proof that they saw each other this week,’” Carthen said. While they mainly posted solo photos, they were spotted together at the event. “Why are you so invested in people that don’t know you? That part kind of creeps me out, because I’m never that invested in someone’s relationship, and I’m not living for the internet. I don’t always post what people want me to or always do what people want me to do.”
Carthen’s remarks come about a month after Vansteenberghe also called out speculation that the Nicolandria relationship may not be authentic. After Vulture wrote that Vansteenberghe “leaned into the role of ‘person in love with Olandria’” to appease Love Island shippers, the reality star hit back: “Dear Vulture magazine I fly all the way to New York where you ask me to be photographed half naked and you smile and shake my hand and then write some [sh*t] like that??? I’m sure I’ll be told to not speak up about this.”
In her Cosmo interview, Carthen explained the impossible expectations of her public relationship. “When I was younger, I never understood why people in Hollywood kept their love life private, and now I do,” Carthen said. “When you post too much, they think you’re monetizing and faking it. When you don’t post at all, they can’t tell if y’all are together. There’s no winning.”
