Scream star Melissa Barrera has issued a statement following her exit from the horror franchise.
The actress, 33, starred in Scream (2022) and Scream VI (2023) as Sam Carpenter – but won’t be returning for the next instalment titled Scream 7.
She was fired from the upcoming sequel over social media posts she made about Israel’s war with Hamas.
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Although she has not directly commented on the reports, she did release a statement.
‘First and foremost I condemn Anti-Semitism and Islamophobia. I condemn hate and prejudice of any kind against any group of people,’ she wrote on Instagram stories.
‘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.’
The statement continued: ‘Every person on the 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 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,’ she concluded.
Earlier this month, Melissa reshared a post from another Instagram user, which said ‘If you’re wondering how the world watched when genocides and ethnic cleansings happened… this is how.’
In a post to her page last month, she said she came from a colonised country, posting a Mexican flag, and said ‘Palestine will be free.’
In another post written by herself, she wrote ‘Just like all Palestinians are NOT Hamas, All Jewish people are NOT the Israeli Govt. Do not blame, or hate on, a whole group of people because of what some are doing.’
The actress, who has also starred in the blockbuster musical In The Heights and Netflix’s Keep Breathing, also said: ‘Gaza is currently being treated like a concentration camp. Cornering everyone together, with nowhere to go, no electricity no water … People have learnt nothing from our histories. And just like our histories, people are still silently watching it all happen. THIS IS GENOCIDE & ETHNIC CLEANSING.’
A spokesperson for Scream production company Spyglass said that the studio interpreted Melissa’s comments to be antisemitic, stating to Variety: ‘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.’
Melissa rose to prominence with her lead role in the reboot of Scream, becoming the new face of the franchise with Neve Campbell – who played protagonist Sidney Prescott – taking a backseat in 2022’s Scream before bowing out completely for Scream 7.
Scream 7’s director Christopher Landon is also reported to have tweeted and deleted: ‘Everything sucks. Stop yelling. This was not my decision to make.’
It is claimed that Jenna Ortega has quit the Scream franchise, but her exit is reportedly due to scheduling conflicts.
The outlet claims the script for Scream 7 is not yet ready and Jenna, 21, whose exit was reportedly discussed before the actor’s strike, is preparing to shoot the second season of Wednesday in April.
The war between Israel and Hamas continues to rage in Gaza after Israel responded to the October 7 attacks. The tensions have escalated amid retaliatory attacks.
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MORE : Jenna Ortega ‘quits Scream franchise’ after co-star Melissa Barrera fired for Gaza comments
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