Melissa Barrera addresses Scream 7 firing: “Silence is not an option for me”

Last Updated on February 5, 2024

The world of Scream was thrown into chaos yesterday when it was revealed that Melissa Barrera had been fired from Scream 7 due to social media posts which Spyglass Media deemed to be antisemitic. The actress has now broken her silence in a statement on Instagram Stories.

“First and foremost I condemn Anti-Semitism and Islamophobia. I condemn hate and prejudice of any kind against any group of people,” Barrera said in the statement. “As a latina, a proud Mexicana, I feel the responsibility of having a platform that allows me the privilege of being heard, and therefore I have tried to use it to raise awareness about issues I care about and to lend my voice to those in need.“

Barrera continued, “Every person on this earth- regardless of religion, race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation or socio-economic status- deserves equal human rights, dignity and, of course, freedom. I believe a group of people are NOT their leadership, and that no governing body should be above criticism. I pray day and night for no more deaths, for no more violence, and for peaceful co-existence. I will continue to speak out for those that need it most and continue to advocate for peace and safety, for human rights and freedom. Silence is not an option for me.“

Melissa Barrera starred in the last two Scream movies as Sam Carpenter, the illegitimate daughter of original Scream killer Billy Loomis. In a statement explaining why Barrera was fired from Scream 7, a Spyglass spokesperson said, “Spyglass’ stance is unequivocally clear: 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.“

With Melissa Barrera out of Scream 7, fans wondered if the next installment of the franchise might pivot to Jenna Ortega, who plays Sam’s sister Tara, but it was announced earlier today that Ortega is out as well, citing scheduling conflicts with the second season of Wednesday. In a since-delated statement on X, Scream 7 director Christopher Landon said, “This is my statement: Everything sucks. Stop yelling. This was not my decision to make.“

I would imagine that the studio is scrambling to figure out what to do now that the two Scream stars are out of the picture. The obvious choice would be to finally pay Neve Campbell what she’s worth to reprise her role of Sidney Prescott. Campbell did appear in the 2022 movie but didn’t return for Scream VI following a salary dispute. Variety added that Patrick Dempsey is another possibility being considered to return along with Campbell. Dempsey appeared in Scream 3 as Mark Kincaid, and it was later confirmed that Mark and Sidney had gotten married.