Peacock Renews Love Island USA for Season 9 as Ariana Madix Returns to Host
Peacock has renewed Love Island USA for a ninth season, with Ariana Madix returning as host. The announcement lands as the reality dating competition closes out a summer that, according to the streamer, made it the top streaming title of Summer 2026 to date. Deadline
The numbers behind that claim are striking. Peacock said the Season 8 premiere pulled over 19 billion minutes viewed, with 35% of that audience consisting of brand-new viewers — meaning people who had not watched the show before. For a series that moved to Peacock in Season 4 and has been built around Madix as host since Season 6, that influx of fresh eyes suggests the show is still finding new fans rather than relying on a static base.
Season 8 crowned its winners in Trinity Celeste Tatum and Bryce Alakai Dettloff, who shared a $100,000 grand prize. A reunion special co-hosted by Madix and Andy Cohen is set to stream on Monday, August 31 at 9 p.m. ET. Deadline
Madix, who earned her first Emmy nomination this year for her hosting work on the series, is not slowing down. She is set to return to Broadway this September, starring as Connie Francis in Just in Time at a run scheduled from September 12 through November 22. Peacock
For fans, the renewal means the villa doors are not closing anytime soon. And there is more Love Island on the way beyond the flagship: Peacock also renewed Love Island Games for a third season, with Madix returning as host, scheduled for Fall 2027. A second companion series, Love Island Beyond the Villa, was renewed for a third season as well. Deadline
Love Island USA is produced by ITV America in association with Lifted Entertainment and Motion Entertainment, a WPP Media Company, and distributed by ITV Studios. The format, which originated on UK broadcaster ITV2, places singles in a villa where they couple up, face public votes, and risk being dumped from the island — a structure that has now spawned multiple spin-off series on Peacock alone.
Madix, who rose to prominence on Bravo's Vanderpump Rules, has hosted Love Island USA for three consecutive seasons. Peacock currently offers Seasons 4 through 8 for streaming. No premiere date for Season 9 has been announced.
