“Love Island” star Austin Shepard is getting real about his struggle with addiction. During a podcast appearance, the 27-year-old opened up about relapsing while filming the show’s spin-off, “Beyond the Villa.”
Austin Shepard is no stranger to the spotlight, as he was also the center of attention during the most recent season of “Love Island” after netizens called him out for reportedly sharing offensive content.
Austin Shepard Relapsed While Filming The ‘Love Island’ Spin-Off
Peacock | Ben Symons
Shepard revealed that he was 11 days sober on the “Previously On” podcast by TMZ. The “Love Island” alum shared that before reaching that point, he relapsed by using opioids while filming season 2 of the show’s spin-off, “Beyond the Villa.”
“No one knew,” he shared. “I’m a pretty manipulative, functional addict until it becomes so unmanageable—like how it got. But I can bullsh-t for a while.”
Shepard likened himself to a “salesman,” adding that he tends to “wave and pretend everything is OK.”
Austin Shepard Revealed His Co-Stars Noticed A Change In His Behavior
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Elsewhere, during his appearance on the podcast, Shepard showed love to his co-stars, who noticed the reality star’s demeanor had changed while filming “Beyond the Villa.”
“Charlie started reaching out in the last month and was like, ‘Bro what’s going on?’” he said. “I just got pretty real with him, just telling him pretty much everything. He’s been wishing me love, giving me love. Same with TJ, Iris. They’ve been sending me love.”
Shepard also got real about the difficulties he’s faced while managing his sobriety.
“I know how this road goes,” he said. “I’ve had plenty of friends who are not here today that have sadly passed from it and it’s either death or a long life of misery.”
“That was my moment of clarity, finally,” he said.
Austin Shepard Sought Professional Help
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For Shepard, gaining clarity was just one of the things that helped him deal with his struggle. He also admitted to seeking professional help at another point during his journey.
“There was one night where I was sitting there, I was just going crazy,” he said. “I hadn’t slept in four nights. I was very sick. Just puking. It was horrible. I was like, ‘I need to go somewhere, medically.’”
The facility Shepard checked into gave him excellent care, he said, adding that the support of his family members has helped strengthen him.
Shepard Faced Backlash After Sharing Controversial Posts
You absolutely cannot predict what he’s about to say. #LoveIslandUSA pic.twitter.com/R7HV3qQ8UO
— Nick (@aftersunfilm) July 4, 2025
According to a previous report from The Blast, Shepard faced backlas
