{"id":850,"date":"2026-08-09T15:22:58","date_gmt":"2026-08-09T15:22:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/adsandthings.com\/winews\/2026\/08\/09\/love-island-alum-jana-craig-says-she-is-trying-to-embrace-the-unknown-during-exciting-new-chapter-of-life-exclusive\/"},"modified":"2026-08-09T15:22:58","modified_gmt":"2026-08-09T15:22:58","slug":"love-island-alum-jana-craig-says-she-is-trying-to-embrace-the-unknown-during-exciting-new-chapter-of-life-exclusive","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/adsandthings.com\/winews\/2026\/08\/09\/love-island-alum-jana-craig-says-she-is-trying-to-embrace-the-unknown-during-exciting-new-chapter-of-life-exclusive\/","title":{"rendered":"\u201cLove Island\u201d Alum JaNa Craig Says She Is Trying to \u2018Embrace the Unknown\u2019 During Exciting \u2018New Chapter\u2019 of Life (Exclusive)"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Craig, 29, was thrust into the spotlight after appearing on season 6 of \u2018Love Island USA\u2019 <\/p>\n<figure><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/people.com\/thmb\/5_pbT-GKDj3UmOuEXMdAFLhc8nQ=\/filters:no_upscale():max_bytes(150000):strip_icc():format(jpeg)\/JaNa-Craig-080626-2f8d01bf77204ca18f9f4f5964e6d030.jpg\" alt=\"JaNa Craig attends 2026 BET AwardsCredit: Prince Williams\/FilmMagic\" title=\"JaNa Craig attends 2026 BET Awards at Peacock Theater on June 28, 2026 in Los Angeles, California. \" \/><figcaption><i>JaNa Craig attends 2026 BET Awards<br \/>Credit: Prince Williams\/FilmMagic<\/i><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h3>NEED TO KNOW<\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li>JaNa Craig reflects on turning 30 and embracing new opportunities after learning from challenges in her 20s<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li>The <em>Love Island USA <\/em>alum is working on a secret scripted project and says it aligns with her reality TV persona<\/li>\n<li>Craig credits Ariana Madix and other mentors for advice and support as she navigates her evolving career<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><a class=\"null\" href=\"https:\/\/people.com\/search?q=JaNa+Craig\" data-type=\"\" data-component=\"link\" data-source=\"inlineLink\" data-ordinal=\"1\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">JaNa Craig<\/a> is ready for her next chapter.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>The <em>Love Island USA <\/em>star and influencer caught up with PEOPLE at T-Mobile\u2019s Club Magenta at Lollapalooza to talk about her upcoming plans and career opportunities.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI turn 30 at the end of this year. It\u2019s a whole new chapter. I\u2019m so excited,\u201d Craig, 29, shares.\u00a0\u201cI learned so much in my 20s, so I\u2019m so grateful and extremely excited for what the 30s will bring me.\u201d<\/p>\n<figure><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/people.com\/thmb\/Fx6yMjiNdz8RxeGpmMdOresQnxU=\/fit-in\/640x480\/JaNa-Craig-Kaylor-Martin-1-080626-9a2a3848fb414e30b4fff70869eda0fc.jpg\" alt=\"JaNa Craig and Kaylor MartinCredit: T-Mobile\" title=\"Jana Craig, Kaylor Martin\" \/><figcaption><i>JaNa Craig and Kaylor Martin<br \/>Credit: T-Mobile<\/i><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Craig <a class=\"null\" href=\"https:\/\/people.com\/love-island-usa-jana-craig-speaks-out-im-strong-than-i-thought-exclusive-11795812\" data-component=\"link\" data-source=\"inlineLink\" data-type=\"internalLink\" data-ordinal=\"1\" rel=\"null\">was thrust into the spotlight<\/a> after she and <a class=\"null\" href=\"https:\/\/people.com\/love-island-jana-craig-fires-back-kenny-rodriguez-podcast-claims-12023395\" data-component=\"link\" data-source=\"inlineLink\" data-type=\"internalLink\" data-ordinal=\"2\" rel=\"null\">her now ex-boyfriend, Kenny Rodriguez,<\/a> placed third on the sixth season of <em>Love Island<\/em> <em>USA<\/em> in 2024. However, after taking their relationship from the villa to the real world, Craig announced in July 2025 that they were \u201c<a class=\"null\" href=\"https:\/\/people.com\/love-island-usa-jana-craig-kenny-rodriguez-break-silence-on-split-11781423\" data-type=\"\" data-component=\"link\" data-source=\"inlineLink\" data-ordinal=\"3\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">no longer together<\/a>,\u201d calling what went on behind closed doors \u201cterrible, disgusting and disappointing.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>In July 2026, Craig told PEOPLE that she <a class=\"null\" href=\"https:\/\/people.com\/love-island-usa-alum-jana-craig-confidence-back-breakup-exclusive-12009932\" data-component=\"link\" data-source=\"inlineLink\" data-type=\"internalLink\" data-ordinal=\"1\" rel=\"null\">spent the last year \u201clearning.\u201d<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u201cI\u2019ve always loved myself, but when you go through what I went through, it kind of lowered the confidence a little bit, but we\u2019re back up,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n<p>Never miss a story \u2014 sign up for <a href=\"https:\/\/people.com\/people-news-daily-newsletter-sign-up-8692701\">PEOPLE\u2019s free daily newsletter<\/a> to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.<\/p>\n<p>At Lollapalooza, Craig emphasizes that she is \u201cexcited\u201d about her future and \u201cthe idea of the unknown.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI try not to let fear ever get control of me. I like to embrace the unknown. So knowing that I have no idea what\u2019s gonna happen next is what\u2019s the most exciting part of it all,\u201d she shares.<\/p>\n<p>While she has a lot of people in her corner, Craig says she has been leaning on <em>Love Island <\/em>host Ariana Madix, who \u201cgives amazing advice.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cShe had to calm me down real, real hard last year,\u201d Craig shares, noting that there are several other A-listers who have also reached out and offered her guidance and support.<\/p>\n<p>In this new season of life, Craig says she is focused on saying \u201cyes to everything.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMy most recent, exciting project was a scripted film,\u201d she teases. \u201cI\u2019ve never done scripted. I\u2019m always little miss unscripted [so I can] say what I want. So it\u2019s really fun to channel into a new character.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI can\u2019t share exactly what it is, but when you guys see it, it\u2019s so funny,\u201d she adds. \u201cI\u2019ll give you a hint. It goes really good with who you guys first met me off. That\u2019s the only hint I can give you. You\u2019ll see very soon.\u201d<\/p>\n<figure><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/people.com\/thmb\/tPaoVZ1JfdVzKikpWIm9oFGWJTQ=\/fit-in\/640x480\/JaNa-Craig-Kaylor-Martin-080626-3eed7ea4f0da483ea33fd5a0ff0c5b52.jpg\" alt=\"JaNa Craig and Kaylor MartinCredit: T-Mobile\" title=\"Jana Craig, Kaylor Martin\" \/><figcaption><i>JaNa Craig and Kaylor Martin<br \/>Credit: T-Mobile<\/i><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>While she didn\u2019t divulge many details about the upcoming project, she notes that she worked alongside an \u201camazing\u201d celebrity who showed her the ropes.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt was such a blessing to work with her. I have a lot of big people that I dream of and look up to that are looking at me, supporting me and rooting for me,\u201d Craig shares. \u201cI\u2019m like, \u2018Oh, I can\u2019t let you people down.\u2019 I gotta act right. Which I will, so don\u2019t worry.\u201d<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Craig, 29, was thrust into the spotlight after appearing on season 6 of \u2018Love Island USA\u2019 JaNa Craig attends 2026 BET AwardsCredit: Prince Williams\/FilmMagic NEED TO KNOW JaNa Craig reflects on turning 30 and embracing new opportunities after learning from challenges in her 20s The Love Island USA alum is working on a secret scripted [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"rop_custom_images_group":[],"rop_custom_messages_group":[],"rop_publish_now":"initial","rop_publish_now_accounts":[],"rop_publish_now_history":[],"rop_publish_now_status":"pending","footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-850","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-everything-else"],"wpmagazine_modules_lite_featured_media_urls":{"thumbnail":"","cvmm-medium":"","cvmm-medium-plus":"","cvmm-portrait":"","cvmm-medium-square":"","cvmm-large":"","cvmm-small":"","full":""},"categories_names":{"1":{"name":"Everything Else","link":"https:\/\/adsandthings.com\/winews\/category\/everything-else\/"}},"tags_names":[],"comments_number":"0","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/adsandthings.com\/winews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/850","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/adsandthings.com\/winews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/adsandthings.com\/winews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adsandthings.com\/winews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adsandthings.com\/winews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=850"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/adsandthings.com\/winews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/850\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/adsandthings.com\/winews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=850"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adsandthings.com\/winews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=850"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adsandthings.com\/winews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=850"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}