Marco Donatelli Backs Pepe Garcia After Breakup with Iris Kendall: ‘It’s Bro Time’
New York, NY – August 30, 2025, Marco Donatelli, the Love Island USA Season 5 winner, has publicly thrown his support behind Season 7 finalist Jose “Pepe” Garcia following Garcia’s high-profile breakup with Iris Kendall. In an exclusive interview with TMZ on August 28, 2025, Donatelli revealed he reached out to Garcia to offer guidance on navigating the challenges of post-villa life, dubbing their bond “bro time.” The gesture highlights a growing friendship between the two reality stars, with Donatelli, who remains engaged to his Season 5 partner Hannah Wright, stepping up to support Garcia during a turbulent period marked by breakup rumors and cheating allegations.
The breakup between Garcia, 27, and Kendall, 25, came to light on August 24, 2025, when fans noticed the couple unfollowed each other on Instagram, sparking widespread speculation. Kendall further fueled the rumors by deleting all posts featuring Garcia from her feed and sharing a cryptic Instagram Story featuring a sunset photo set to Fleetwood Mac’s breakup anthem “Silver Springs,” with lyrics like “Time cast a spell on you, but you won’t forget me.” On August 28, Garcia confirmed the split to TMZ, stating, “Iris and I are not together anymore. That’s just the way it goes,” and addressed cheating rumors, saying, “My friends and family know who I am as a person, and that’s honesty.” Kendall later issued a statement to E! News, expressing gratitude for fan support and noting, “The connection that I formed has ended, and while it isn’t how I would have imagined, I will always value the unique experience we shared.”
Donatelli, 23, who was spotted with Garcia in Beverly Hills during the TMZ interview, emphasized their immediate connection, saying their friendship “clicked” due to shared experiences as Love Island USA alumni. He offered Garcia advice on handling the intense public scrutiny that follows the show, particularly after Garcia noted, “It’s a tough thing when there’s a lot of eyes on you 24/7. It’s stressful.” Donatelli’s support is notable given his own success in maintaining a relationship with Wright, whom he proposed to in May 2025, making them one of the few Love Island USA couples to endure post-villa life.
The breakup has stirred significant buzz among fans, with some on X expressing disappointment, like one user who posted, “No way Pepe cheated on Iris!!!! I wanna fight him,” while others lamented, “I wish this Iris and Pepe situation happened before the reunion.” The Season 7 reunion, filmed on August 12 and aired on August 25, showed the couple still together but with visible tension, as they disagreed on defining their relationship—Kendall wanted a formal commitment, while Garcia viewed their exclusivity as sufficient.
As Garcia moves forward, focusing on “next steps and opportunities,” including a basketball game with Justin Bieber on August 28, Donatelli’s camaraderie offers a lifeline. The duo’s “bro time” underscores the bonds formed through the Love Island experience, even as romantic relationships falter under the spotlight. Fans are now watching closely to see how Garcia navigates his newfound single status and whether Donatelli’s mentorship will shape his post-villa journey.
Sources: TMZ, E! News, People, Cosmopolitan, Hindustan Times, X posts