JaNa Craig’s not even a month out from one of the summer’s most dissected and discussed celebrity breakups, but I’m finding it hard to tell. The Love Island USA season 6 star has brought her signature buoyant energy to our interview, speaking at Energizer Bunny speed, and showering everyone on the set of her photo shoot with compliments. She’s maintaining the same sunny disposition that made her prom queen in high school and a standout on America’s favorite reality dating show last summer. But in the cheeriest tone, she reveals to me that although fans may not have noticed, she thinks she’s been shrinking herself. Since leaving the villa in third place with her now-ex boyfriend, she found herself in an unfortunately relatable relationship dynamic, one in which she says she was “dimming her light.” The 28-year-old Hawai‘i native was paired up with her now ex-boyfriend, 25-year-old tech sales manager Kenny Rodriguez, on the show. After a series of mismatches during her season of Love Island USA, Kenny’s late-stage entrance and apparent devotion to JaNa positioned him as somewhat of a Prince Charming, especially in comparison to the disappointing characters she’d dealt with prior.
The couple’s smiley public appearances and sweet updates on social media pointed to everlasting bliss. Even their conflicts on the spin-off series Love Island: Beyond the Villa, currently airing on Peacock, seemed pretty playful, though disputes about their long-distance living arrangements might have signaled greater trouble. But on Sunday, July 27, it was reported that they had split after an explosive argument at a birthday party. Their breakup dominated the internet in the days that followed—partly because of the mystery surrounding it. When JaNa’s Love Island USA season 6 costars unfollowed Kenny en masse, her fans littered his comment sections with passionate testimonies about her value. And rumors about the reason behind the breakup spiraled.
JaNa has yet to set the record straight, which she admits has been a challenge. And for the most part, she remains collected and matter-of-fact when discussing her ex, whose name she doesn’t say once. “I pride myself on not being a petty person in general. But when I get super upset, God is my everything,” she says. “The second [the breakup] happened, I dropped to my knees. I was trembling, I was shaking, and I just asked God to give me clarity. To let me not talk crazy, to control my mind, and to control my tongue. Every single time people ask why I’m taking the high road, it’s because of God.”
She also credits her “Powerpuff Gang,” (aka PPG, fellow Love Island stars Leah Kateb and Serena Page), self-care, and tequila. And thanks to a recent public appearance alongside rapper Key Glock, she’s already sparking new dating rumors. Because after a year that she says feels wasted, she’s ready to rediscover her light and introduce fans to who she calls “NayNay 3.0.” “My situation is supposed to teach someone else a lesson,” she shares. “God uses me as an example sometimes. So I’m not a victim. I was just a project or a lesson for someone else.”
How would you compare the nonpublic breakups you’ve gone through in the past to your latest one?
I’ve ended on good terms with all my exes. After the show, I had two of them text me about how proud they were. I thought I knew how to pick them.
This recent breakup is my first-ever negative one. I’ll probably never get closure, but I don’t need it. I know exactly who you are. Being told a lie for a whole year is not a good feeling. So I’ve kind of just erased my whole 28th year. On my 29th birthday, I’m saying, “By the way, I’m turning 28 again!”
When you discovered all the lies, did you feel like that was God trying to put them on your radar?
It’s so funny. Maybe two months ago, I literally asked God before my one year: “If I’m supposed to be in this relationship, can you make it clear as day?” I said, “Make it so clear. Put the sign on a billboard or put it smack dead in my face that I can’t miss it.” And my situation happened a week before my one year. It doesn’t get any clearer than the way that I learned it. But I would rather know now, instead of being presented with a red flag I could ignore. God always reminds me that when one door closes, He opens up another.
What inspired you to ask for that clarity?
I’m getting older, and I’ve been wanting to get married. Obviously, that was the first younger guy that I’ve ever dated, so I was like, “Is this supposed to be, this little kid?” But God was like, “It’s not supposed to be.”
By your own admission, you’re a confident person who’s never had anxiety. That doesn’t quite align with the victim position fans online are putting you in. Is there anything you want to correct there?
I wish people would stop telling me that I missed a lot of red flags. I give people the benefit of the doubt. Maybe I smother people in love, and I shouldn’t do that, but that’s just who I am, and I’ll never apologize. Maybe someone had an agenda to show as many green flags as possible, and I fell into that. People know how to finesse. I don’t view myself as a victim. I just view myself as collateral damage. My situation is supposed to teach someone else a lesson, because God uses me as an example sometimes. So I’m not a victim. I was just a project or a lesson for someone, and I hope someone learned something. I hate it when people mistake my kindness for weakness. Don’t do that—because you’re going to get hurt, not me.
Your cast has presented such a strong united front after the breakup. And your fans are very protective of you too. What’s the most touching thing you’ve read from a fan online lately?
They left the comment on my ex’s page. It was 9 or 10 lines long and basically reminded him how he effed up. I needed that, because [after the breakup] I got off social media for, like, four or five days straight. I’m not an anxious person, but I was shaking, preparing to see what was being said online. But everyone had my back. People even found my P.O. Box, and I had so many letters. I’m not the type of person to air out someone’s dirty laundry and I didn’t even care to share how dirty I’ve just been done, but the world didn’t even care—it was like, “You said you’re done, so we’re done.” Now I’m like, I can’t let America down! So I’m going to go 10 times harder for [my fans]. I’m saying yes to everything.
How has your relationship with PPGM, aka Kordell Beckham and Miguel Harichi, evolved?
They’re obviously like my brothers, and they’ve always had my back, but recently [after the breakup], they went to war for me. And to hear from your girlfriends is one thing, but to hear from a man’s perspective—one who’s in a good, beautiful, healthy relationship—feels really good.
They check on me all the time. We have a group chat—obviously, a new one. [laughs] Serena wasted no time updating that. It’s such an honor to third-wheel two amazing couples. Leah will invite me to family dinners that would usually be just her and Miguel. It’s so thoughtful.
They were close with your ex, and it’s interesting because so many men won’t even hold their friends accountable for wrongdoing.
They wasted no time. It is very common for people to dismiss things, especially when they’re in the limelight, because you don’t want to have any problems or beef with anybody. But Miguel, Kordell, Kendall, and Rob wasted no time. They understood the situation and why I decided to hold [my ex] accountable. They could have just turned a blind eye, but I appreciate them more than they’ll ever know.
I love how all of my friends teach me something different about love. What specific things have PPG, Kaylor, and Liv each taught you?
Leah and Serena are my tough friends. They remind me daily that I am a queen—they think I should be a WAG! They’re just like, “JaNa, you deserve to be spoiled; you’re the definition of an amazing, beautiful future wife—don’t you ever settle.” Kaylor, on the other hand, is a lot like me. We’re such lover girls. She’s like, “JaNa, don’t forget your soft side. If you think you want to date the person but you’re not sure, just date them and find out!” Liv reminds me not to take anyone’s shit ever. She’s like, “You’re the prize, not the guy, so make sure you walk and talk that way.” I take that advice because now my standards have increased by 1,000. At this point, you have to be an angel from heaven and say God himself told you to start dating me.
You seem like the eternal optimist. Where does that optimism come from?
I was in third or fourth grade the first time I remember feeling uncomfortable, and I hated the feeling. So anytime I recognize that someone’s trying to make me uncomfortable, I radiate off of it and switch the energy around. But I always tell myself that being nervous and feeling anxious is a good thing. You can’t elevate to the next level unless you step out of your comfort zone.
When’s the last time you really challenged yourself in that way?
I’m not even kidding, it was stepping outside after my breakup. I stayed inside for a whole week and ordered Uber Eats every day. But I hated that I felt uncomfortable even going to the grocery store, so I called my best friend Charmaine and said, “We’re going to the grocery store.” We didn’t make it there, but we did make it to 7/11 for a Slurpee.
I would imagine that going on a show like Love Island would really drastically shift my outlook on relationships and love. I’m curious how that played out for you.
Out of all the people in America, you and another person were chosen to be on the same season at the same place at the same time. That has to mean something, you know? My relationship didn’t work out, but I’ve learned so much from it. I gained friendships and the sisterhood from the show as well. Imagine if I had been on another season—I would have never met Leah, Serena, Kaylor, and Liv, and those girls are like my lifeline. Our kids are gonna grow up and call us their aunties. We get to share such a beautiful story that has actually been documented.
I want to get into Love Island culture at large. I know you didn’t watch this last season, but did witnessing the perception of it from the outside reshape how you looked at your own experience?
I feel like our season was more based on love. I think everyone in season 7 was so beautiful, but they missed the love mark. If I’m not mistaken, the top four couples were all pretty fresh? I’m not saying that those couples weren’t solid, but we had longer-standing ones. They brought them really good numbers, so they killed that. But the point of Love Island is to find love. And I just wish that we could have had at least one couple that was like a Serena and Kordell, together from the beginning. But I’ve seen Amaya Papaya! Her personality was so radiant. I love her so much; she was her authentic self.
Did you ever find yourself feeling bad for how the season 7 cast was being discussed?
Getting bullied is such a shitty feeling. I don’t think anyone deserves it. Maybe some of the season 7 castmates needed constructive criticism, but it’s never okay to degrade someone.
The shift between season 6 and season 7 feels reflective of a generational shift. Season 6 had a mostly older Gen Z cast. But did you see that play out, where younger Gen Z people have a more casual approach to relationships?
There was a lot more kissing during this season, thank God I was on mine! Obviously, there’s a lot of kissing on the show in general. I’m not saying they weren’t intentional at all, but we were definitely way more intentional with who we wanted to couple up with. I think they took more risks, and that was super entertaining. I feel like season 6 was more about, unity and girl power, whereas from what I saw, season 7 was about giving people chances. A lot of people got a lot of chances.
Love Island: Beyond the Villa was a fun new concept. Did it feel like you got the chance to correct any misconceptions from your original Love Island run?
We filmed so much, and as I’m watching it, I’m wishing they had shown other scenes. I’m not saying that the producers missed the mark, but there were a lot of scenes that I wish they had shown. I think there should have been more PPG. We had game night with just PPG and PPGM [the boyfriends of PPG members]. I think that was one of my favorite days filming. We ordered drinks, we had couples’ Jenga, and it got super spicy. That was my favorite night. I know that a lot would be cut. But they showed other parts more…like stuff with my ex, that was a waste of film. [laughs]
What were the main lessons you learned from this last chapter that you think you’ll be able to feed your next relationship with?
I tell myself my last relationship doesn’t count. I know that I can be annoying, but I’m not rude. I’m not mean. I have a really good head on my shoulders, and my personality isn’t too much. I always thought [during the relationship], Maybe I'm doing too much, but no, I’m not doing enough actually, and it’s just for the wrong person. So I’m still gonna be, like, my bubbly, genuine self.
Do you have any advice to share to empower people to cut off a relationship?
If you’re even thinking about whether you should be in a relationship, that should tell you enough. We literally only have one life, and it’s shorter than you will ever know. I’m friends with a lot of elderly people, and they always advise that there’s always someone who will treat you better, even if you don’t see it right now. And old people don’t lie!
How do you feel about getting to redefine your public image without being tethered to another person?
It’s so exciting. I tend to do this thing where I’ll dim my light to make others feel comfortable, and now, after going through everything this past year, I’m thinking about the number of times that I took a step down to make other people feel better. We’re not doing that ever again. You guys have seen NayNay 2.0, but wait until you meet NayNay 3.0. She’s what you guys have been waiting for.
In the spirit of NayNay 3.0, I do want to address your recent public appearances with the rapper Key Glock. How’d you guys meet, and what’s going on?
I got to help out on his new project. We were just working! He’s really sweet and super kind, but it was just work. I was told he’d love to have me hop on his project. And, like, why would I say no to that?
There was a lot of speculation that you two were dating. How did the wild reception to that make you feel?
I told myself I’m back outside, but I don’t want to date anytime soon. That’s doing way too much. I hate dating. I hate getting out there, and I fear online dating! It gives me anxiety because I watch a lot of true crime. But I am flattered when someone says, “I see something in you. I want you to be a part of this thing. I think you're kind and beautiful.” Yeah. [Key Glock] got me flowers at the end of it. He did such an amazing job making me feel comfortable on set, and he was so funny and sweet.
I love how eager everyone is to ship you with different people. On a scale of 1 to 10, how delusional are the fans that ship you with your former Love Island USA costar, Rob?
100! Those edits are everywhere. He’s such a little brother. Obviously, if you watched the show, you’d see that he had a thing with someone else [JaNa’s friend Leah Kateb]. I would never, ever interrupt that. He’s so kind, but everyone from the show now is like siblings. If I were to run it back, it’d be giving incest.
Your recent vlog documenting your trip to Hawai‘i had me thinking about baby JaNa. What about your life today would make her the most excited?
I think she’d be so proud of herself. I remember when I was younger, I said that somehow, I’m going to be well known, only because I won prom queen. I told myself at my 10-year high school reunion that I had to make a statement—not even for my fellow classmates, just for myself. So I think young JaNa always had high expectations. She’s probably like, See, I told you you could do it.
How would you define the JaNa 3.0 era?
NayNay 3.0 is going to be breaking barriers. She’s going to be unapologetically herself. She still says yes to everything, but she’s going to shine her light way brighter, no more dimming it. I’m gonna be stepping on necks, and I’ll be outside—you’re about to literally see me everywhere.
