A new “Love Island” couple is drumming up tons of gossip after episode 12 dropped on Peacock this week. And no, it’s not Jeremiah and Iris (though Huda, we do express our condolences). We’re talking about Nic and his alleged cold sore.
Following the episode on June 15, fans took to social media to express their concerns over a suspected reddish bump on Nic’s bottom lip visible several times during the episode and in the prior episode’s “Aftersun” footage.
Viewers were particularly heated about the alleged cold sore after the “Got Wood?” challenge where our Love Islanders-turned-lumberjacks were encouraged to make out with multiple contestants. “WTF was on [Nic]’s mouth and everybody’s making out and kissing him and shit. When he kissed Olandria, I wanted to die . . . I was like do not give my good sis that cold sore,” influencer Mariah Rose said in a TikTok video.
Fans have also been quick to point out the presence of other “bumps” among the islanders, particularly on Austin’s face, raising questions about pre-show health screening and the general safety risks of kissing so many people. “Guys, we have to talk about all the bumps going around Love Island. No one should be swapping spit like that and the proof is starting to show. There’s bumps everywhere,” stated one concerned TikToker. “Why are the islanders getting so many pimples and cold sores,” another wrote, captioning the video “who’s got the herps?”
To be clear, no one on the show has “the herps” officially (also, please don’t call it that). It has not been confirmed that Nic or any other “Love Island” contestant actually has herpes simplex virus type 1, or oral herpes, which is known to cause contagious cold sores (though one TikTok sleuth did go as far as to ask ChatGPT for analysis). It’s also important to note that while cold sores are always a sign of a herpes simplex infection, per the Cleveland Clinic, “not every bump or irritation on your lip is a cold sore.” It could be a pimple, which are not at all contagious.
Regardless of the potential diagnosis, I’d like to petition to end the cold sore shame right here. There’s enough herpes stigmatization in the world. And the truth is, 50 to 80 percent of American adults have oral herpes (HSV-1), according to Johns Hopkins Medicine.
No one deserves to be shamed for it either. Most people don’t even know they have herpes until symptoms become visible. In other words, the virus is hard to avoid. Even with the standard STI panel reportedly required by “Love Island,” the herpes virus can slip through.
A full STI panel typically includes testing for HIV, syphilis, hepatitis B and C, gonorrhea, and chlamydia, said Adrienne Ton, ARNP, a family nurse practitioner and the director of clinical operations at TBD Health in a previous interview with PS. “Infections like herpes and human papillomavirus (HPV) aren’t generally included in the full panel,” added Suzy Lipinkski, MD, an ob-gyn at Pediatrix Medical Group.
Now, if you’re asking whether Nic should have been kissing the other contestants with an alleged cold sore and otherwise clean bill of health, it’s tough to say. If production was concerned about the health of the villa, it was just as much their responsibility to assess the bump and sit Nic out of the day’s kissing challenge as it was for him to sit himself out. On the other hand, statistically at least half the house already has herpes . . . whether they know it or not. My best advice for the contestants? Kiss responsibly and carry Abreva.
Alexis Jones (she/her) is the senior health and fitness editor at PS. In her seven years of editorial experience, Alexis has developed passions and areas of expertise around mental health, women’s health and fitness, racial and ethnic disparities in healthcare, and chronic conditions. Prior to joining PS, she was the senior editor at Health magazine. Her other bylines can be found at Women’s Health, Prevention, Marie Claire, and more.
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