Were Ace & Chelley Dating Before Love Island USA? Her Friends Weigh In

Chelley Bissainthe and Ace Greene are finally coupled up on Love Island USA Season 7. This pairing has been a long time coming, and not just because they’ve been flirting heavily in the villa — the duo had actually met before coming on the show. Though they downplayed their connection, fans ran with it, proliferating rumors that their relationship was more serious than they let on. Now Chelley’s friends are setting the record straight, saying the discourse is getting out of hand.

In Episode 1, Chelley and Ace explained how they met briefly outside a club in New York, then exchanged a few DMs, but things never went further because they lived in different states. That seemed to be the end of the story, until fans became convinced that they weren’t telling the full truth on camera.

Viewers discovered that Ace had liked and commented on many of Chelley’s older posts prior to going to the villa, and even referenced someone named “Shelly” being his Valentine on TikTok in February. That all led up to a long anonymous post claiming the two were already together coming into Love Island — although it’s been frequently deleted and reposted.

On June 19, the friends running Chelley’s social accounts posted a response to the gossip. “We want to be transparent and clear the air, as some of the rumors have gotten far from the truth,” the note read. “Chelley and Ace briefly crossed paths in New York and later connected on social media. They were never in a relationship, never lived together, and there are no children or hidden past. What’s unfolding now is real, unscripted, and could change at any moment. We’re fully supporting Chelley, wherever her heart leads and with whomever she chooses to couple with.”

Hopefully, that statement helps to clear things up, although something tells me there’s going to be a fair share of drama going forward with this couple. Casa Amor is coming, y’all.