A Pennsylvania mayor is riled up after his employee chose to ditch work to appear on reality television.
Officer Sean Reifel, 29, is one of the newest contestants on season 8 of “Love Island,” which premiered this week.
Peacock revealed the lineup for its breakout reality dating competition, in which 12 contestants seek romance while living together in a villa all summer.
The Easton native, who began working for the Bethlehem Police Department in August 2025, joined the show for his chance at love.
“You can be having the worst day of your life, and I would help you sift through that,” Reifel said in a promo video after revealing his job.
Chaos erupted as fans of the show discovered that he was fired before the show even aired on Tuesday, June 2.
According to Bethlehem Mayor J. William Reynolds, Reifel resigned from his position himself to appear on the show, but he was not fond of the decision.
“I never thought I’d see the day in America where reality show participation wins out over being a police officer,” Reynolds told Fox 8.
He also said, “Our police department spent a lot of time training and we paid thousands of taxpayer dollars to send him to the police academy. We are disappointed he left, as we now have another vacancy in our department that is impossible to fill until next year.”
Reynolds is the same man who smiled and congratulated Reifel in a Facebook post after offering the position.
“Sounds like the boss is a hater,” wrote one person in response to an Instagram post from “Entertainment Tonight.”
Others pointed out the irony of the mayor blasting someone for seeking national fame, yet here he is chiming in.
“What’s crazy is the mayor is stepping out from his mayoral role seeking fame….the very thing he’s shaming….just say you’re jealous and move on,” said one person.
Another said, “The mayor is mad he didn’t make the cut for the show.”
“We have a reality TV star as the President l, and the mayor has never seen this before give me a break.”
“Samoan Usher quits job as officer to be hot and rich.”
After seeing the mayor’s statement, Reifel’s mother, Beth Reifel Bow, is now standing up for her son to tell the real story behind his leave.
Beth said the mayor was not “fully honest about all the details” he shared, and she refuses to let false narratives surface online.
“This is Sean’s mom and this makes me very sad because the mayor doesn’t see what a huge missed opportunity this was. I care about facts so let’s start with Sean put in for leave,” she began, in response to an Instagram post from “Entertainment Tonight.”
Beth continued, “Secondly they didn’t pay for a full academy for Sean. Sean came to PA after being a Contra Sheriff Deputy since April 2021 and they paid to put him through a full academy.”
Reifel’s mom said she is “proud” of her son for making the “brave decision to put yourself out there to find love under the microscope of the world.”
The latest controversy comes as Peacock attempts to curb growing fan harassment and online scrutiny surrounding the hit reality series, which became the streamer’s most-watched original show last year.
Season 8 contestant Vasana Montgomery was removed from the cast just days before the premiere after videos surfaced that appeared to show her using the N-word. Peacock confirmed her exit shortly after the clips began circulating online.
