Melissa Barrera Calls Scream Castmates Scabby for Returning After Her Firing

A former Scream star fired after speaking out against Israel now criticizes her ex-castmates for returning to the horror franchise. She agrees they acted scabbily by moving forward without her.

"One hundred percent [they were scabby]. I think they all are," Melissa Barrera told Variety.

"And they have to live with that," she added. Her comments appear aimed at cast members Mason Gooding and Jasmin Savoy Brown, who starred with Barrera in the fifth and sixth Scream movies. Gooding and Savoy Brown returned for the seventh installment, unlike Barrera.

"The only way they were able to make that movie after what happened was to nostalgia-bait as much as possible," Barrera said.

Variety writer Marlow Stern asked Barrera if it seemed scabby that Spyglass brought back cast members from prior Scream films after she was fired from Scream 7, Jenna Ortega declined to return and the director dropped out. Stern likened it to crossing a picket line.

"Oh, one hundred percent," Barrera replied.

Representatives for Savoy Brown and Gooding did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital's request for comment.

Barrera was dropped from the franchise in late 2023 after backlash over her social media posts about the Israel-Hamas war. She accused Israel of genocide in its response to the Oct. 7 attacks.

One post 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."

Spyglass Media Group told Variety at the time that Barrera's posts crossed a line. It said the company has zero tolerance for antisemitism or the incitement of hate, including false references to genocide, ethnic cleansing, Holocaust distortion or anything that crosses into hate speech.

Barrera responded soon after, rejecting claims of antisemitism or incitement of hate. "I believe a group of people are not their leadership and that 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," she told the outlet.

"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."

The franchise saw more changes after Barrera's exit. Jenna Ortega declined to return, and director Christopher Landon stepped away.

Ortega's departure was first attributed to scheduling conflicts, but she later denied that. "The Melissa stuff was happening, and it was all kind of falling apart. If Scream VII wasn’t going to be with that team of directors and those people I fell in love with, then it didn’t seem like the right move for me in my career at the time," she said.

Barrera shook her head when asked if she received messages of support from others after her firing. "That's not the reality of things..."

"I got some messages of support from people in the industry, but what I found is that private messages with no action mean nothing," she added.

Variety's recent coverage examined how Barrera is rebuilding her career after the controversy while taking on new projects and reflecting on the shakeup.