Melissa Barrera Speaks Out After ‘Scream 7’ Firing: ‘I Condemn Antisemitism and Islamophobia’

Melissa Barrera has broken her silence after being fired from the “Scream” franchise. The actress is condemning antisemitism and Islamaphobia after the film’s studio Spyglass said her recent social media posts prompted them to drop her from “Scream 7.”

“First and foremost I condemn antisemitism and Islamophobia. I condemn hate and prejudice ofany kind against any group of people,” Barrera wrote in a statement shared via her Instagram story. “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. 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.”

She continued: “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.”

Spyglass in a statement from November 21 accused Barrera’s recent posts of crossing the line and making “false references to genocide, ethnic cleansing, Holocaust distortion” and that they have zero tolerance for anything that “flagrantly crosses the line into hate speech.”

The news comes after earlier today it was reported Barrera’s co-star Jenna Ortega had also dropped out of “Scream VII” due to scheduling conflicts with shooting “Wednesday.” It leaves the seventh film in the iconic, now rebooted horror franchise, without either of its leads — and the original films’ recurring star played by Neve Campbell did not return to the sixth film that opened this spring.

A report in Variety late Wednesday shortly after Barrera put out her statement said the new film would undergo a full creative reboot, with James Vanderbilt and Guy Busick, the writers of the fifth and sixth films, planning work on a fresh draft. Variety also said the studio is eyeing the return of Campbell, and Courteney Cox, or even the newly minted Sexiest Man Alive Patrick Dempsey, who made a small appearance in “Scream 3.” No actors have been in active negotiations. It notes that Ortega and Barrera did not have contracts to return for the seventh film, though other stars including Mason Gooding and Jasmin Savoy Brown each had deals to reprise their roles.

“Happy Death Day” filmmaker Christopher Landon is taking over directing duties on “Scream VII.” In a since-deleted statement, he wrote on Twitter, “Everything sucks. Stop yelling. This was not my decision to make.”

The rebooted “Scream” from 2022 brought in $137 million at the worldwide box office, and the sixth film back in March made $168.9 million. Both films were distributed by Paramount.

Barrera has also appeared in last year’s “Carmen,” the series “Vida,” and was one of the stars of the musical “In the Heights.”