”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.. Article continues below advertisement. 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.”. Article continues below advertisement. Austin Shepard Revealed His Co-Stars Noticed A Change In His Behavior. View this post on Instagram. 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.. Article continues below advertisement. Austin Shepard Sought Professional Help. View this post on Instagram. 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.. Article continues below advertisement. Shepard Faced Backlash After Sharing Controversial Posts. According to a previous report from The Blast, Shepard faced backlash from the “Love Island” viewers in the summer of 2025 after he reportedly shared offensive content on his social media channels.. “I want to take a moment to address my recent repost that has caused offense to some of you,” he wrot
