Why Melissa Barrera Threw Shade at Her 'Scream 7' Co-Stars Who Returned to the Franchise
"The only way they were able to make that movie after what happened was to nostalgia-bait as much as possible."
Published May 7 2026, 2:53 p.m. ET
The most recent installment in the Scream franchise, Scream 7, was panned by critics but somehow managed to garner a hefty $200,000 at the global box office, according to Box Office Mojo.
However, Melissa Barrera, who starred in Scream(2022) and Scream VI, suggested in a recent interview that the film's production company lied about the numbers.
She also threw shade at her co-stars who returned to the franchise for Scream 7.
Melissa was fired from the flick after sharing her political views online. Let's break down what happened with Melissa and Scream 7.
Here's what we know about the controversy surrounding Melissa Barrera and the 'Scream' franchise.
After starring in two Scream movies, Melissa was set up to return for the most recent film. However, after she shared her opinions on Gaza and showed support for Palestine, the production company behind Scream 7, Spyglass, fired her from the project, per Variety.
The messages Melissa posted called for peace and criticized the Israeli government for killing Palestinian civilians. She essentially compared Gaza to a concentration camp and shared articles written by Holocaust scholars, who compared what's happening there to genocide.
Melissa also shared links to fundraisers for Palestinian human rights organizations.
After firing Melissa, Spyglass released a statement saying that they have no tolerance for antisemitism or "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," per Variety.
Melissa responded by saying that she was not antisemitic and was not inciting hate.
She said, "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 was disappointed that her co-stars returned to 'Scream 7' after she was fired.
Jenna Ortega left Scream 7 in solidarity with Melissa, but her other co-stars (Mason Gooding, Neve Campbell, and Matthew Lillard) did not.
When Zack Sharf of Variety suggested that those actors were scabs essentially crossing the picket line, Melissa agreed.
She said, "They have to live with that. The only way they were able to make that movie after what happened was to nostalgia-bait as much as possible."
Melissa said that some people reached out to her privately with words of support, but didn't post about it publicly. "What I found is that private messages with no action mean nothing," she said.
Melissa expressed that she thought what happened was a "perfect storm" for her to be attacked for sharing her opinions, noting that Javier Bardem's career wasn't in jeopardy when he spoke up about the same issue.
She said, "I’m a woman of color in this industry. I’m 'on the rise,' but I don’t have a big enough name to be untouchable, so they can make an example out of me ... I was the perfect scapegoat," per Variety.
Melissa also said that she loves seeing Javier and that he has supported Palestine "forever."
"We need their voices," she said.