{"id":481442,"date":"2026-06-03T19:32:09","date_gmt":"2026-06-03T19:32:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/481442\/"},"modified":"2026-06-03T19:32:09","modified_gmt":"2026-06-03T19:32:09","slug":"a-love-island-stars-mom-clapped-back-at-mayor-who-is-mad-cop-quit-to-be-on-the-reality-show","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/481442\/","title":{"rendered":"A Love Island Star’s Mom Clapped Back At Mayor Who Is Mad Cop Quit To Be On The Reality Show"},"content":{"rendered":"

Love Island USA has officially begun on the 2026 TV schedule<\/a>, which means many will be using their Peacock subscription<\/a> daily to keep up with what\u2019s going on in the villa. However, there\u2019s also news circulating outside of it, as a mayor called out one of the show\u2019s contestants for quitting their job as a cop to be on the program. Now, said contestant\u2019s mom has clapped back and defended her son.<\/p>\n

What The Mayor Said About Sean David Reifel Going On Love Island<\/p>\n

Sean Reifel is from Easton, Pennsylvania, and he signed on to work for the Bethlehem Police Department last year. He no longer works for the police department, and Mayor J. William Reynolds said it\u2019s because he\u2019s competing on the reality competition. The mayor is not pleased about this either, as he told local ABC station WHTM<\/a>:<\/p>\n

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. <\/p>\n

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He continued to criticize Reifel\u2019s choice to go on the reality show and leave his job by saying:<\/p>\n

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I never thought I\u2019d see the day in America where reality show participation wins out over being a police officer.<\/p>\n

These comments quickly went viral as Reifel\u2019s time in the villa started on June 2. Now, his mother has commented on one of the posts addressing what the mayor said.<\/p>\n

How Sean David Reifel\u2019s Mom Responded To The Mayor<\/p>\n

This news traveled around the internet fast, and on ET\u2019s<\/a> post about it, Beth Reifel Bow replied. She said she is Sean\u2019s mom in the comments, the two follow each other on Instagram<\/a>, and she\u2019s posted and tagged him in many images for years. She passionately defended her son\u2019s choice, writing:<\/p>\n

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This is Sean\u2019s mom and this makes me very sad because the mayor doesn\u2019t see what a huge missed opportunity this was. I care about facts so let\u2019s start with Sean put in for leave. Secondly they didn\u2019t 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. I\u2019m not saying they didn\u2019t do any training but they also weren\u2019t fully honest about all the details. I\u2019m proud of my son. It is a brave decision to out yourself out there to find love under the microscope of the world. \u2764\ufe0f<\/p>\n

During a conversation with The Morning Call<\/a>, Police Chief Michelle Kott explained that she didn\u2019t think \u201cthere\u2019d be a department that would be willing to allow someone to leave for \u2018x\u2019 amount of weeks to go on a television show.\u201d She also noted that the city won\u2019t approve leave for secondary work.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s not a secret that going on a reality show can impact people\u2019s careers<\/a>. For some, it affects their day-to-day at the job they had before they went on TV; for many others, they fully leave their careers.<\/p>\n

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It\u2019s also common to see reality stars jump from one show to another after they make their debut on TV. Take Rob Rausch, for example; after being on Love Island USA, he went on to win The Traitors<\/a>. Maura Higgins, who was on The Traitors with Rausch, also got her start on Love Island, and she will appear on Dancing with the Stars<\/a> next.<\/p>\n

So, it\u2019s by no means unusual for people to have a career change or evolution after they go on a reality show. Now, to see Sean David Reifel on TV, you can watch Season 8 of Love Island USA<\/a> on Peacock Thursdays through Tuesdays at 9 p.m. ET. Meanwhile, if there are more updates outside the villa surrounding him and the reaction to him leaving his job, we\u2019ll be sure to keep you updated.<\/p>\n