Melissa Barrera Dropped From ‘Scream 7’ After Comments On Israel-Hamas War

Mexican actress Melissa Barrera, 33, has been fired from her starring role as Sam Carpenter in the upcoming “Scream 7.” As reported by Variety, Barrera’s firing follows her comments on social media supporting Palestine amid the Israel-Hamas war.

As per the outlet, “Scream” production company Spyglass dropped Barrera after sharing social media posts calling Israel “colonized” land. The actress reportedly wrote on her Instagram Stories: “Western media only shows the [Israeli] side. Why do they do that, I will let you deduce for yourself.”

Barrera began her career starring in iconic Mexican telenovelas like “Siempre Tuya Acapulco,” “Tanto Amor,” and “La Otra Cara del Alma.” However, after stints on big-name productions like “Vida” and “In The Heights,” the actress crashed into the zeitgeist after starring in 2022’s fifth “Scream” movie. Following her performance up with “Scream VI,” Barrera cemented her status as a scream queen.

As one X user recently wrote after hearing the news of Barrera’s firing, “Y’all don’t understand how hard it is for Mexican actors from the telenovela scene to break out like she did… Now this?”

Here is what we know so far about Barrera’s firing, her alleged response, and statements so far from the movie’s executives.

“Scream” franchise studio Spyglass reportedly dropped Barrera’s after her posts supporting Palestine

As reported by USA Today, Barrera shared several social media posts supporting Palestine in response to the Israel-Hamas war. As per the outlet, the actress regularly shared similar posts for weeks. This includes posting a video on her Instagram stories that referred to the “genocide in Gaza.”

In an Instagram post last month, Barrera asked followers to help her demand that Congress and President Biden call for “a ceasefire in Gaza and Israel before another life is lost.” She added, “We must end the bombing of Gaza.”

As per The Hollywood Reporter, Barrera took to her Instagram stories to further solidify her stance. In the post, she allegedly wrote: “Gaza is currently being treated like a concentration camp.”

“Cornering everyone together, with no where to go, no electricity no water… People have learnt nothing from our histories,” the “Scream” actress described to her followers. “And just like our histories, people are still silently watching it all happen. THIS IS GENOCIDE & ETHNIC CLEANSING.”

In other Instagram stories, which some fans are theorizing may have been the “issue” behind Barrera’s firing, the actress said that Israel and the United States “control the [war’s] narrative to what favors them].” Saying the countries were “behind over backwards to stop us from seeing what is going on,” she wrote, “So obviously [hiding] something.”

In yet another Instagram story, she added, “Censorship is very real.” With some seeing Barrera’s comments in line with harmful tropes about Jews controlling the media, she continued: “Western media only shows the [Israeli] side. Why they do that, I will let you deduce for yourself.”

“Palestinians know this, they know the world has been trying to make them invisible for decades.”

Following Barrera’s comments, Variety reported yesterday that “Scream 7” producers dropped her from the upcoming film.

Spyglass responded that they have “zero tolerance for antisemitism”

Following Barrera’s firing, “Scream” franchise producer Spyglass stated that they have “zero tolerance for antisemitism.”

The production company told Variety, “Spyglass’ stance is unequivocally clear: We have zero tolerance for antisemitism or the incitement of hate in any form.”

Spyglass said that this policy includes “false references to genocide, ethnic cleansing, Holocaust distortion or anything that flagrantly crosses the line into hate speech.”

While Barrera has not provided a statement yet about being dropped from “Scream 7,” she posted a possible response on her Instagram stories.

The reshared post read, “At the end of the day, I’d rather be excluded for who I include, than be included for who I exclude.”

Meanwhile, the upcoming film’s director Christopher Landon also wrote on X about producers firing Barrera. “This is my statement: 💔 Everything sucks. Stop yelling,” he told the franchise’s fans. He also clarified he did not take part in the decision process: “This was not my decision to make.”

Still, many “Scream” fans are taking to X to share their thoughts on Barrera no longer joining the production. In fact, one X user wrote their idea for what the rest of the “Scream 7” cast should do in solidarity. “The rest of the ‘Scream 7’ cast has the chance to do the coolest shit in recent memory and walk straight off,” they wrote:

Another wrote how much Barrera’s character, Sam Carpenter, meant to them: “[She] was the heart and soul of SCREAM VI and her absence will be felt deeply.”

And while the fan said they believe Spyglass made an “awful decision,” they said this situation made them “a huge admirer” of the actress’s “courage and bravery”:

With some reports about Jenna Ortega possibly requested to end her “Scream” contract, the controversy will surely continue to boil: