Love Island's Austin Shepard Relapsed During Spinoff Filming

The reality star opened up about his opioid addiction struggles and recent relapse.

Published on Mar. 10, 2026

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Love Island USA's Austin Shepard, 27, revealed he suffered a relapse while filming the show's upcoming spinoff series, Love Island: Beyond the Villa. Shepard, who appeared on season 7 of the dating show in 2025, said he was on opioids during filming and tried to avoid filming as much as possible. He has since entered rehab and is 11 days sober.

Why it matters

Shepard's relapse highlights the ongoing challenges of addiction, even for reality TV stars, and the need for more support and resources for those struggling with substance abuse issues, especially in high-pressure entertainment environments.

The details

Shepard opened up about his relapse and addiction struggles on the TMZ 'Previously On' podcast. He revealed he had a seizure after arriving at a detox center and had to be sent to the emergency room. Shepard said he is a 'pretty manipulative, functional addict' until his addiction becomes 'unmanageable.' After leaving the Love Island villa in 2025, Shepard had previously spoken about an unconventional 18-hour psychedelic treatment he underwent at age 22 to get clean from opioids.

  • Shepard appeared on the TMZ 'Previously On' podcast on March 9, 2026.
  • Shepard revealed he is 11 days sober after entering rehab for opioid addiction.
  • Shepard was part of the Love Island USA season 7 cast, which was filmed in June 2025.

The players

Austin Shepard

A 27-year-old former contestant on Love Island USA who recently relapsed while filming a spinoff series.

Chelley Bissainthe

A fellow Love Island USA contestant who Shepard initially formed a connection with on the show.

Ace Greene

A Love Island USA contestant who has since ended his romance with Chelley Bissainthe.

Raven Wood

Shepard's reported girlfriend from O'ahu Shores.

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What they’re saying

“I know how this road goes. I've got plenty of friends that are not here today that have sadly passed from it. It's either death or a long life of misery.”

— Austin Shepard (TMZ)

“I'm a pretty manipulative, functional addict until it becomes so unmanageable, like how it got.”

— Austin Shepard (TMZ)

“When I was 22, to get clean from opiates, I did this psychedelic stuff called ibogaine. In it, I lived until I was 64 years old as an addict, day in and day out. Had two kids, a wife, kids got taken away. And then I came out of my trip 18 hours later, and I was like, 'Holy s***, I need to get my life figured out.'”

— Austin Shepard (The Journey podcast)

What’s next

Shepard told TMZ he plans to pay it forward and start a scholarship for those in need of addiction treatment.

The takeaway

Shepard's relapse during the filming of a Love Island spinoff highlights the ongoing challenges of addiction, even for reality TV stars, and the need for more support and resources for those struggling with substance abuse issues, especially in high-pressure entertainment environments.