Open Twitter/ X and one name is trending at the top of the list- Melissa Barrera. Before today, most people knew of her as the actress from Scream 6.
Now, tweets about her have garnered more than 100k likes, and it’s all because she was fired from Scream 7. But why? And what is the commotion about?
Spyglass Media has dropped Melissa Barrera from Scream 7 because they deemed her recent posts on the ongoing Israel-Palestine war as antisemitic. One post shared by Barrera said, “I, too, come from a colonized country. Palestine WILL be free.”
Why Was Melissa Fired from Scream 7?
Deadline has confirmed that Spyglass Media has dropped Melissa Barrera from Scream 7 because her recent views were seen as antisemitic. Spyglass Media has released a statement saying:
“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.”
Barrera was seemingly fired for her pro-Palestinian views since the Israel-Palestine conflict began. About a month ago, she posted a placard on her Instagram story that read:
“I, too, come from a colonized country. Palestine WILL be free. They tried to bury us; they didn’t know we were seeds.”
This was referring to the fact that Melissa came from Mexico. She had also shared a post accusing Israel of perpetrating genocide and ethnic cleansing.
Barrera also allegedly gave voice to an antisemitic trope by writing that “Western media only shows the [Israeli] side. Why do they do that, I will let you deduce for yourself.”
In another post, she had posted an excerpt from the Jewish Currents magazine that talked about distorting or muddying “the Holocaust to boost the Israeli arms industry.”
There weren’t many confirmed castings about Scream 7 since the WGA and SAG-AFTRA strike had just ended. But it was reported that Barrera was returning as Sam Carpenter with Jenna Ortega, who plays her sister Tara Carpenter. Scream 6 had hauled in $169M worldwide.
Also, Christopher Landon will be helming it instead of Radio Silence duo Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett. Landon was inundated with messages from people angry at him for firing Barrera. However, he clarified in a now-deleted tweet that:
“This is my statement: Everything sucks. Stop yelling. This was not my decision to make.”
After getting fired, Barrera posted a picture on her Instagram that read:
“At the end of the day, I’d rather be excluded for who I include than be included for who I exclude.”
But Melissa isn’t the only actor fired for voicing her views. Previously, it was reported that UTA had dropped their client Susan Sarandon because she made controversial comments on November 17 during a pro-Palestine rally in New York.
Allegedly, Sarandon said at the rally:
“There are a lot of people that are afraid, that are afraid of being Jewish at this time, and are getting a taste of what it feels like to be a Muslim in this country, so often subjected to violence.”
They aren’t alone. It is now confirmed that Jenna Ortega has dropped out of Scream seven barely a day after Melissa Barrera was fired.
However, Variety reported that Barrera’s firing didn’t influence Ortega’s departure. It was due to scheduling conflicts with Wednesday season 2 and Beetlejuice 2. Her departure was apparently being worked out from months ago, even before the SAG-AFTRA strike began.
How Did The Internet React to Melissa Barrera Getting Fired?
The Internet has reacted fiercely to Barrera’s firing. On the Movies subreddit, user GoldenJoel wrote how unfair the actress’ firing is. They wrote:
“Wild how Any Schumer can go on a racist, insane tangent on Twitter about Muslims, but show any concern for Israel’s violent actions in Gaza, you’re dropped. You know something in this country is poisoned when calling for a ceasefire is considered ‘too radical.'”
Many thought from a business standpoint regarding this decision. User Ghidoran wrote:
“Seems like a bad business move considering Gen Z made up a huge portion of the last film’s audience (I believe 40% were 18-24), and they seem to be largely Pro-Palestine.”
Some wondered if Ortega leaving and Barrera getting fired would mean Neve Campbell, part of the original Scream film cast, could return. On the Entertainment subreddit, user outofmymind85 wrote:
“Scream producer is beside himself. Driving around downtown LA, begging (thru texts) for Neve Campbell to come back.”
This comment had more than 5k upvotes and was cheered by many.
Many are not buying the excuse that Ortega left due to scheduling conflicts. User TheCVR123YT wrote,
“Just feels wayyy too coincidental timing wise lol.”
Redditor Bikinigirlout agreed and clarified- “She’s been vocal about supporting Palestine. Most of the cast has been include Chad and Mindy.”
Some think that Jenna used the cover of scheduling conflicts to get out of Scream 7 without getting blacklisted in Hollywood. Redditor Scheeeeming explained:
“I get why they went with that. If she comes out and says it’s because of Melissa/Israel/Palestine, then she risks causing a stir and being part of this new blacklist.”
Could the other Scream six cast members slated to appear in Scream 7 drop out next? Do you think the film producers have shot themselves in the foot by firing Melissa Barrera?
Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.
