'Scream' star Melissa Barrera dropped from franchise after pro-Palestinian, anti-Israel posts
Actres Melissa Barrera will not be returning to the "Scream" franchise following a series of Instagram Story posts that insisted Israel was committing "genocide" and claimed the media only shows the "Israeli side."
While Barrera was not yet confirmed for "Scream 7," the latest in the ongoing slasher film series, Variety reported that sources said she was already dropped from the movie due to her posts following the October 7 Hamas terror attacks.
"Spyglass quietly dropped Melissa Barrera as the star of the next ‘Scream’ film, sources say, due to her social media posts that referred to Israel as a ‘colonized’ land and floated an antisemitic trope that Jews control the media," Variety reported.
Variety confirmed the news with a statement from Spyglass Media Group, the company that produces the "Scream" movies.
"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," a Spyglass spokesperson told Variety.
One of Barrera's multiple posts on the war read, "Gaza is currently being treated like a concentration camp. Cornering everyone together, with no where to go, no electricity no water … People have [learned] nothing from our histories. And just like our histories, people are still silently watching it all happen. THIS IS GENOCIDE & ETHNIC CLEANSING."
In another, she suggested that social media and Western media only show the Israeli side of the war in an act of censorship.
"I have been actively looking for videos and information about the Palestinian side for the last 2 weeks or so, following accounts etc. Why? Because western media only shows the other side. Why they do that, I will let you deduce for yourself," the post read.
It continued, "Usually, the algorithm on social media gets the gist. Well…My discover page on IG will ONLY show me videos showing and talking about the Israeli side. Censorship is very real. Palestinians know this, they know the world has been trying to make them invisible for decades. Keep sharing."
Barrera previously starred in the most recent two films of the franchise, "Scream" (2022) and "Scream VI" (2023). The latest sequel was announced earlier this year. Fox News Digital reached out to reps for Barrera and Spyglass Media Group for a comment.
Oscar-winning actress Susan Sarandon was also dropped from the major Hollywood agency UTA for her inflammatory remarks while attending a pro-Palestinian rally in New York City last week.
"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," Sarandon said.
Anti-Defamation League CEO Jonathan Greenblatt spoke out sharply against Hollywood celebrities on the issue.
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"There’s just no excuse for not condemning Hamas and demanding the release of the hostages. Hollywood was quick to declare Black Lives Matter, as they should, and Time’s Up, as they should, and myriad other important causes," Greenblatt told Variety. "There’s plenty of room for criticism of Israel or to voice concerns about the ongoing war in Gaza, but that doesn’t provide celebrities and industry reps with an open license to wage unfair accusations against Israel, such as accusing it of ‘apartheid’ or ‘genocide’ or, worse, to celebrate the actions of Hamas terrorists."