He dated a Vanderpump Rules star and then ended up with a Love Island one — Who is Connor Newsum?
Connor Newsum is an American health coach, content creator, and reality TV personality best known for appearing as a bombshell on Love Island USA Season 6 in 2024. He entered the villa on Day 2 and spent 13 days on the show before being eliminated. Since leaving, he has appeared on the Peacock spinoff Love Island: Beyond the Villa and made headlines for his post-villa dating life.
Source: Getty Images
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Key takeaways
- Connor entered the Love Island USA Season 6 villa on Day 2 and was eliminated on Day 15.
- He was first coupled with JaNa Craig before redirecting his attention to Leah Kateb.
- Post-villa, he was spotted at a dinner date with Vanderpump Rules star Katie Maloney in Studio City.
- Connor Newsum also connected with Cassidy Laudano after leaving the villa.
- On 2 July 2025, he publicly confirmed a relationship with Love Island USA Season 5 alum Carmen Kocourek.
Profile summary
Full name | Connor Allan Newsum |
Common name | Connor Newsum |
Gender | Male |
Date of birth | 29 March 1996 |
Age | 30 years as of 2026 |
Zodiac sign | Aries |
Place of birth | Spokane, Washington, United States |
Residence | Santa Monica, California, United States |
Nationality | American |
Ethnicity | African-American |
Height in centimetres | 180 |
Height in feet | 5'11" |
Hair colour | Brown |
Eye colour | Grey |
Father | Phil Newsum |
Mother | Deborah 'Debi' Newsum |
Siblings | 1 |
Relationship status | Dating |
Partner | Carmen Kocourek |
Profession | Public relations specialist, fitness coach, TV personality |
High school education | Lewis and Clark High School |
Higher education | California State University, Northridge |
Social media |
Meet Love Island USA Season 5 alum, Connor Newsum
According to The Spokesman-Review, Connor Newsum's birth was recorded in the Spokane area on 29 March 1996, to Phil and Debi Newsum. Today, the PR specialist is 30 years old as of 2026, and his zodiac sign is Aries.
Connow Newsum's father, Phil Newsum, was a former Glover's principal, while his mother, Debi, is a retired principal for the Reardan-Edwall school district. He has one older sibling, Jenika Newsum Enakhimion, a senior brand manager at Diageo.
Source: Original
A close look at Connor Newsum's academic background
The Love Island USA Season 6 star attended Lewis and Clark High School. He began working as an area manager at Signature Parking in 2015, immediately after finishing high school.
Five years later, he enrolled at California State University, Northridge, where he earned a bachelor's degree in journalism and public relations. He graduated in 2023.
A close look at Connor Newsum's career
Source: Instagram
While still in college, he worked for Nomad as a logistics specialist in Santa Barbara, California, United States, until March 2021. As per his LinkedIn profile, Connor Newsum joined FaZe Clan as a public relations coordinator in his final year of college.
In January 2024, Connor began working at JSA+Partners as a PR specialist in Santa Monica, California, United States.
Newsum is an avid outdoors enthusiast and shares his experiences trying various sports, including snowboarding, surfing, scuba diving, hiking, and competitive organised sports such as marathons and triathlons.
In August 2021, he competed in the Escape From Alcatraz Triathlon. He also participated in the Malibu Triathlon on Zuma Beach in September 2022.
Source: Getty Images
Follow Connor Newsum's journey through Love Island USA
Connor was a cast member on season 6 of Love Island USA and Love Island: Beyond the Villa. He is best known for his interactions in the villa alongside JaNa Craig, Leah Kateb, and later with Love Island USA Season 5 alum Carmen Kocourek. Here is a detailed breakdown of his time on the American reality show.
What happened to Connor on Love Island USA Season 6?
Connor entered as a Day 2 bombshell. He initially pursued Kaylor Martin despite her clear connection with Aaron Evans, and the two shared a kiss before Kaylor cut things off to pursue Aaron.
Source: UGC
He later connected with JaNa Craig. That pairing broke when Connor redirected his attention to Leah Kateb after her relationship with Rob Rausch ended. He later reflected on the end of his relationship with JaNa during an interview with Today.
I think I could have done things a little bit differently with JaNa. I regret some of the things that I said or did. But, ultimately, we were able to come to a nice understanding that we were friends. Hopefully. I think she feels the same way.
Connor was left single at the end of season 6, episode 16, and sent home after Leah Kateb chose Miguel Harichi over him.
Connor Newsum and JaNa Craig's conflict did not end at the villa door. In an interview with Elite Daily, Craig confirmed this, adding that she had moved on,
The only person I really had a problem with was Connor... That's a 2024 thing. When the clock ticked to 2025, it was a new year. It's a whole new energy, a whole new chapter, so I decided to just let it go.
What happened to Connor after leaving the villa?
Source: Twitter
After leaving the villa, Connor revealed that he had connected with Cassidy Laudano. The Love Island USA Season 6 contestants rekindled their relationship over similar careers and interests. In an exclusive with US Weekly, he said,
She got out, and I was like, ‘Hey, so what’s up?’ We’ve been texting and, maybe, potentially making some light plans. We got along really well. We had a lot in common… We just had a lot of similar interests, love for animals... She’s really easy to talk to, she’s gorgeous, and just fun to be around.
On 31 July 2024, Newsum and Vanderpump Rules star Katie Maloney were spotted having dinner at the Laurel Tavern restaurant in Studio City, California. Katie, who was previously married to Tom Schwartz, later set the record straight on her relationship status. In an episode of The Viall Files podcast, she said,
We went on one date. I didn’t even categorise it as that... Somebody told on us at the bar we went to. He definitely freaked out about it.
Source: Facebook
On 2 July 2025, Connor hard-launched his relationship with Carmen Kocourek on a now-deleted Instagram post, captioned 'An update' alongside a five-photo carousel, including one of him kissing her cheek. Carmen responded with a heart and angel emoji in the comments.
It is unclear whether Carmen and Connor Newsum are still together, as they are no longer sharing each other's social media updates.
FAQs
- What is Connor Newsum known for? He is best known for his appearance on Love Island USA Season 6 alongside Kordell and Serena Page.
- What is Connor Newsum's ethnicity? Connor is biracial, with both African-American and White heritage.
- How old is Connor Newsum? Connor is 30 years old, as of 2026.
- What is Connor Newsum's height? The Love Island alum is 6 feet 2 (188 centimetres) tall.
- Who are Connor Newsum's parents? His parents are Phil and Debi Newsum.
- What does Connor Newsum do for a living? He is a fitness coach and a PR specialist.
- Is Connor from Love Island in a relationship? Since July 2025, Connor has been in a relationship with Carmen Kocoureck.
- Where is Connor Newsum from? Connor is originally from Spokane, Washington.
- Are Carmen and Connor still together? Connor and Carmen Kocourek have been together since going public with their relationship in 2025.
- Is Connor Newsum on Instagram? He has had an Instagram account since December 2011, with over 119,300 followers as of June 2026.
Connor Newsum broke into pop culture in 2024 through Love Island USA. While on the show, the PR specialist and fitness coach made connections with Kaylor Martin, JaNa Craig, and Leah Kateb. Later, he started dating Love Island USA Season 5 alum Carmen Kocourek.
Legit.ng published an article about Carmen Kocourek and Kenzo Nudo. The couple met as contestants on Love Island USA Season 5 and finished the season as finalists in fourth position.
Carmen Kocourek and Kenzo Nudo dated for ten months and twenty-one days after the show's finale on 27 August 2023. Dig in for a full timeline of the couple's relationship and the events that led up to their July 2024 split.
Proofreading by Kola Muhammed, copy editor at Legit.ng.
Source: Legit.ng
