Melissa Barrera On “Shocking” ‘Scream 7’ Firing & Subsequent Jenna Ortega Exit

Armando Tinoco
·2 min read
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Melissa Barrera is opening up about her firing from the Scream franchise following social media posts commenting about the Israel-Hamas conflict.

In a new interview, Barrera said it was “shocking” she was dropped from Scream VII after playing the lead role of Sam Carpenter starting with 2022’s Scream V.

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“It was shocking,” Barrera told Rolling Stone. “I don’t even know what to say. I think everything that happened was very transparent, on both sides, and I know who I am, and I know that what I said always came from a place of love and a place of humanity and a place of human rights and a place of freedom for people, which shouldn’t be controversial. It shouldn’t be up for debate.”

She continued, “So, I’m very at peace. The people who know me in my family know the truth about me and where I stand, and I think most people in the world also do.”

Spyglass Media cut Barrera, saying in a statement, “We have zero tolerance for antisemitism or the incitement of hate in any form, including false references to genocide, ethnic cleansing, Holocaust distortion, or anything that flagrantly crosses the line into hate speech.”

After news that Barrera would no longer continue in the Scream franchise, her on-screen sister, played by Jenna Ortega, also dropped out, citing scheduling conflicts with Netflix’s Wednesday.

In the same interview, the reporter asked about Ortega’s exit saying, “That didn’t seem like the whole story. It seemed like there was some sisterhood-solidarity going on.”

“Listen, Jenna is a good egg. She’s a good person and we love each other. She would show up for me and I would show up for her no matter what,” Barrera added.

Following the turmoil, Scream 7 director Christopher Landon also announced he was stepping down from his duties.

The cast of the film recently reunited at MPTF’s 17th Annual Evening Before Gala and posed for photos together, including Liana Liberato, Tony Revolori, Jack Quaid, and Barrera’s on-screen father and OG Ghostface Skeet Ulrich.

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A post shared by Melissa Barrera (@melissabarreram)

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