While Love Island USA ’s Kaylor Martin is famous for her many tear-filled moments on Season Six of the unscripted dating series, the reality star stood firm when confronting her fellow Islander and now-ex, Aaron Evans, at the show’s reunion on Monday night. Over the summer, the world watched Martin fall in love with Evans inside the villa in Fiji, but it was a rocky road for the couple after Evans lied to Martin about the details of his relationship with Daniela Ortiz-Rivera. Martin’s crying face became the subject of many memes, as did her infamous phrase, “Fawk, Aaron” (a saying so widespread she even trademarked it).
The 22-year-old also caught a lot of heat from fans for taking Evans back so quickly in the villa following his transgressions. It wasn’t until she left Fiji and watched the episodes back with her friends and family that Martin realized the extent of Evans’ betrayal and her lack of desire to continue their relationship any further. “I’ve shed enough tears and I can’t waste my energy on negativity.
I deserve someone who is on the same wavelength as me and watching myself on TV being so vulnerable and having such a big heart was a wake up call. It made me realize, damn, I don’t deserve this,” Martin tells Rolling Stone . “Honestly, I don’t really know how to feel.
I’m very hurt and I would be lying to sit here and say that I don’t love Aaron and care for him. After being wronged, I still think he is an amazing person. I just think that he has some issues and he can’t commit or tell me the truth, or he has poor decision-making skills.
” When the reunion streamed on Peacock , Martin was watching from the comfort of a New York City hotel suite along with cast members Olivia Walker, JaNa Craig, Kenny Rodriguez, and some of her other friends from outside the villa. Dressed in matching pajamas and devouring takeout, Martin says she was happy to be with people who understood the intensity of the moment. She hates watching herself on TV, Martin says, and it was especially difficult to relive the anger she felt towards Evans in the heat of the moment; Martin already knew that Evans kissed Ortiz-Rivera, but it wasn’t until the reunion that he confessed to putting his hands down her pants.
Editor’s picks Every Awful Thing Trump Has Promised to Do in a Second Term The 250 Greatest Guitarists of All Time The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time Inside Sammy Davis Jr.'s Secret Satanic Past “I normally don’t go about things that way but enough was enough and I snapped,” she says. After the finale aired, Martin spoke to Rolling Stone about confronting Evans at the reunion, how she’s navigating her newfound fame, and what’s next for her.
How did you feel heading into the reunion? I was very nervous but I was also excited to see everyone outside of the villa. We actually are a really close family and it’s nice to see everyone back together again, but it was nerve-racking for me as well because you’re seeing people that you haven’t seen in a long time and social media after the show has had an influence on us as well. That setting is very different from the villa.
Can you talk about how your relationship with Aaron finally ended? After the villa, I came home and I watched the show with my family. I didn’t expect Aaron’s relationship with Daniela to be so consistent and romantic and it caught me off guard. Yes, I saw a lot of things on movie night [in the villa] but he assured me every single time I had doubts that that was the worst of it.
So coming out and watching it, I learned that wasn’t true. Also, every time I would explain why I was upset with him, he said, ‘You don’t understand what it’s like to be in my position,’ or ‘You probably did the same thing in in Casa Amor and I just didn’t get to see it,’ or ‘You didn’t get a good edit.’ It was always deflecting.
I needed time to process this. I was on a phone call with him and my best friend was in my room, and he was like, ‘You’re just doing this because this is what the people want you to do,’ instead of actually acknowledging how I felt. My best friend, who was one of his biggest cheerleaders, heard that and said, ‘Oh my god Kaylor, you need to take a step back,’ and I agreed.
I didn’t want to start a relationship with resentment or trust issues, I don’t think that’s a healthy way to start any relationship. Aaron mentioned that he wanted to end things but I brought it up. He actually asked me, ‘Do you want to just say that we’re officially done?’ and I was like, ‘It doesn’t have to be that dramatic.
’ It was mutual. I think maybe he also agreed to end things because he knew that he didn’t tell me absolutely everything. He waited until the reunion to be on camera to tell me that he did reach his hands down another girl’s pants.
We hung out multiple times and in Los Angeles when we got out of the villa. We were hooking up and he knew that he had put his hands down in other girls’ pants and yet, he never hesitated to have sexual endeavors with me. After you broke up, you spent time together in New York City a few days before the reunion.
What were those interactions like? I got to New York one night after him. I flew in early just to see him and Liv [Walker] before the reunion. The first night I was here I went out with Aaron and I invited my best friend who lives in the city.
It was fun and we were having a good time but then it got to be too much for me and we got in a big argument the morning after I stayed with him. Apparently, Caine [Bacon, another Love Islander ] came to his room and had told him that I was flirting with Jalen [Oliver] in Casa Amor, and Aaron was upset because of that. I was like, ‘You’re upset? How do you think I feel?’ It was a lot of deflecting.
How did it feel to confront him at the reunion? [Aaron’s comments about hooking up with Daniela] completely caught me off guard. I did not expect him to lay that bomb on me. It was very embarrassing because he waited to do it on camera.
He’s seen me all summer, I’m an emotional person and he knows that. So for him to do that on camera, I was embarrassed and in that moment I felt angry. What were you planning on saying to Aaron before he dropped the bomb about Daniela? I didn’t really go in with any expectations.
I was still going to hold him accountable. I don’t think I would’ve been as angry but I was still going to hold him accountable and explain how Casa Amor did make me feel. But I was also probably going to mention that I do really care for him.
At the reunion, you told Aaron, “I walked into the villa being so confident and you beat me down, beat me down, beat me down, and I left a different fucking girl.” What have you learned about yourself after leaving the villa? How did you find your voice again? When you’re in the villa, you’re kind of in your own little ‘la la land.’ The people who you have in the villa are the only people you have and you’re with those people every single minute of the day.
Coming back to the real world, watching the show back, and watching my state in the villa showed me that I was such a loyal person, a committed person, and I deserve the truth. I deserve a guy who is willing to give me that, even if it’s hard to do. Fans noticed when you walked out of the reunion taping, you had a photo of you and Aaron on your phone’s lock screen even though you were already broken up.
Do you want to clarify that? My lock screen changes and rotates photos when I press it down, but yes that photo was on my lock screen. Even though Aaron and I weren’t together, it doesn’t mean that I just woke up one day and I’m like, ‘Oh, I can’t stand him. I have no feelings for him.
’ When you have love towards a person, that’s not how it works. It would be a way easier journey if it did. I had that photo as my lock screen and I didn’t delete the photo out of my [rotation] because I just wasn’t there yet.
Have you spoken to Aaron since filming the reunion? No, I haven’t. I did send him a text saying,Best of luck to you.” I realized he had texted me before the reunion and I didn’t see it until the morning after the reunion, so I reached out and said I was sorry for how I acted because the last thing I want to do is kick someone when they’re down.
I know he’s dealing with a lot right now and I didn’t want my reaction to hurt him so I did reach out. But nothing else was said, He blocked me on Instagram, I don’t really know why, and he also blocked Liv. Are you open to a friendship or any kind of relationship with Aaron at some point in the future? I’ll always care for him.
If he ever needs anything, he can reach out to me. But I don’t really have any interest whatsoever. I’ve been through enough with him.
Maybe years down the road, who knows. I can’t have any future expectations. We’ll see what happens.
But as of now, I’m just having a blast with my best friends and I don’t want to have a man in my life right now. You said you weren’t mad at Daniela for her interactions with Aaron in Casa Amor. Why weren’t you upset with her for lying to you in the villa about the extent of their relationship? I’m not blaming it on Daniela.
She didn’t owe me anything. She and I didn’t have a prior friendship going into the villa and the last thing I wanted to do was blame the girl. If I had a few minutes to speak on this at the reunion, it wasn’t going to be towards Danielle.
It was going to be towards Aaron. However, I think she does know I don’t appreciate that she lied to me. I think Daniela and I had a pretty good friendship when she got to the villa so I was very disappointed to see [the truth] on TV.
Even after the villa, she never reached out to me to say, ‘Hey girl, I just want to let you know.’ None of that. But ultimately, in the bigger picture Aaron should have told me because we had that connection.
It’s not Daniela’s fault. Would I have appreciated it if Daniela would have told me? Absolutely. But she didn’t and I’m not going to harp on that.
Is there anything you wish aired from the reunion that didn’t? I did actually say something to Daniella at the reunion but it didn’t make the edit. I said I would have appreciated it [if she told me] and she acknowledged that. She apologized to me and we ended on good terms.
Someone who attended the reunion taping posted an Instagram story and claimed that you and Aaron delayed the start time for hours. Is that true? I don’t know what that was about. We actually didn’t start on time because there was a power outage in the building we were filming in.
I don’t even think that person works for Peacock or works for Love Island or [production company] ITV. There’s been a lot of conversation about the importance of you and your cast members’ mental health in light of cyberbullying. How are you managing online comments and negativity? It’s really difficult.
I’m trying not to look at the negative comments. I can tend to go look at the negative comments rather than looking at the positive ones and I think it’s about not letting yourself jump into that hole of social media. I’m just trying to not let this consume my life entirely too much and trying to live in the moment, doing normal things.
We are all humans and real people, we’re not just characters that you see on this TV screen. Many people were really hard on us Islanders and it needs to be considered that we are also going through a lot of things, even with our home lives or family or whatnot. How are you navigating all of the newfound fame and attention you’re receiving? How has it changed your life and your relationships with your castmates? I don’t really think it’s changed.
I think if anything, we all are dealing with social media and it’s brought us together as a cast because we can bond over that. I guess it’s changed my life because I’m not going back to college for obvious reasons. I just can’t do that right now.
I’m very busy trying to take a break. Coming back to normal life isn’t so normal now because you’re in the public eye. Trending AOC Torches Trump in Rousing DNC Speech: 'Would Sell This Country for $1' Trump Doubles Down on Medal of Honor Dig Despite Backlash From Vets Former White Party Dancer Files Police Report Against Sean Combs in Miami James Taylor Apologizes After Being Cut From the Democratic National Convention What’s next for you? I don’t really know what’s going on for me in the next couple months.
I just know that Liv and I probably will move in with each other. We’re just going to travel and see where life takes us. We both love New York City.
Liv and I were just talking about it and we were saying we should do a month in New York, a month in Miami, a month in Los Angeles, and see what works best. But there should be many things coming, I’m sure. Are you open to doing more reality television? Would you go back to Love Island ? If it was a different experience, maybe.
Probably not anytime soon, unless Liv and I could walk in as bombshells together. But I think I need a break from reality TV..
