Melissa Barrera 'Scream' Firing Sparks Fears Over 'New Hollywood Blacklist'

Melissa Barrera's firing from the Scream franchise over her stance on the Israel-Hamas conflict has sparked outrage and fears of a "new Hollywood blacklist."

In the Heights star Barrera has been weighing in on the war on her Instagram account with a stream of posts that have largely called for a ceasefire. She also reposted an article that accused Israel of committing "genocide" in its strikes on Gaza.

The article—written for progressive Jewish magazine Currents by Raz Segal, associate professor of Holocaust and genocide studies at Stockton University—described the assault on Gaza as "a textbook case of genocide unfolding in front of our eyes."

Mexican-born Barrera, who had led the fifth and sixth Scream movies, was promptly dropped from Scream 7, with a spokesperson for production company, Spyglass Media Group, stating that her some of her posts had been interpreted as antisemitic.

"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," the Spyglass representative told Variety on Tuesday.

Newsweek has contacted representatives of Barrera and Spyglass via email for comment.

Scream 7 director Christopher Landon commented on Barrera's firing with a now-deleted statement on X: "Everything sucks. Stop yelling. This was not my decision to make." The response sparked criticism from Barrera's fans, some of whom called it "weak" and "tone-deaf," while others defended the director for being placed in an uncomfortable situation that "wasn't his call."

As news of Barrera's firing from the franchise circulated, a host of her supporters expressed fears that this could mark a new era of artists being blacklisted from Hollywood over their views. Susan Sarandon, who has publicly expressed pro-Palestinian views during the conflict, was recently dropped by her agency.

"Every single artist should be showing support for Susan Sarandon and Melissa Barrera today, or this will just be the beginning of the new Hollywood blacklist," wrote film festival programmer Zoë Rose Bryant on X, formerly Twitter.

Bryant added: "Not only is Spyglass slandering Melissa Barrera by falsely accusing her of being antisemitic, they're also actively denying the fact that a genocide & ethnic cleansing is taking place in Palestine as we speak. What's happened today is unspeakably sickening, & it's only the start."

Another X user referenced viral video footage of Stranger Things star Noah Schnapp posing with "Zionism is Sexy" stickers.

"Noah Schnapp gets to plaster LA with 'Zionism is Sexy' stickers and there are absolutely zero consequences for his career," they commented. "Melissa Barrera posts in support of Palestine and gets dropped from a franchise which she has been a lead in two films. Absolutely wild to watch."

Zionism refers to the Jewish nationalist movement formed in 1897 that pushed to create a state for Jewish people in Palestine. This eventually led to the formation of Israel in 1948, following the Holocaust, which saw more than 6 million Jewish people die. However, some critics of Zionism have argued the creation of Israel forced Palestinians off their land in what is called the Nakba.

Sharing their take on the action taken against Barrera, another chimed in: "Raz Segal, Israeli historian and director of the Master of Arts in Holocaust and Genocide Studies program at Stockton, issued an opinion that what Israel is doing is genocide. Melissa Barrera shared a screenshot of that opinion and Spyglass fired her for 'hate speech.' The f***?"

One X user brought up issues concerning another actor, writing: "Ezra Miller terrorized Hawaii, was accused of grooming and kidnapping but THE FLASH was still released. Melissa Barrera calls on a ceasefire and says Gaza is experiencing genocide and she gets dropped from a film? Hollywood... Come. On."

Miller has a trail of controversies and arrests behind them, including being arrested twice in Hawaii in 2022, once for disorderly conduct and harassment and once for a second-degree assault. Miller, who is non-binary and uses they/them pronouns, was charged with felony burglary in Stamford, Vermont, and even though they pled not guilty, they could face 26 years in prison.

They have also been accused of abuse by women across Europe, including an incident in Iceland in 2020, there was an investigation into trespassing in Berlin that has since been dropped, and there are accusations of grooming by the parents of Native American teenager Tokata Iron Eyes. They filed a restraining order against Miller.

Expressing hopes for other cast members to show solidarity with Barrera, another X user stated: "I hope every single member of the Scream cast walks. I love this franchise with all of my heart, and if this decision stands then Spyglass has ensured I will never watch another entry. Melissa Barrera is right."

IndieWire's chief film critic, David Ehrlich, said he found the Barrera situation "infuriating," because the definition of antisemitism "is being devalued so fast and in such bad faith that it will soon lose all meaning, which probably isn't *great* for the Jews long-term. Alas, by definition, Zionism doesn't care about anything but itself."

Another X user noted that Barrera has continued to share posts on Instagram regarding the conflict, in the hours since it was announced that she had been fired.

They wrote that as recently "as 3 hours ago [Barrera] has continued to spread awareness about Palestine despite being fired from jobs and seemingly blacklisted. She stands on morals regardless of attempts to silence her. I will respect and support that courage over any f****** movie."

Heightened tensions in the region have become a contentious talking point in the weeks since Hamas launched an October 7 surprise attack on Israel, killing around 1,200 people and taking about 240 hostages to the Gaza Strip.

Israel responded with unrelenting airstrikes and a ground invasion after declaring war on Hamas. An estimated two-thirds of Gaza's 2.3 million population have been displaced, while more than 11,000 people have been killed there and thousands injured, according to the Associated Press.

There have been calls for a ceasefire amid concerns for Palestinian civilians. The AP reported that in northern Gaza, where Israeli troops have expanded operations, residents have been without electricity, water and access to humanitarian aid for weeks.

The complexities of enduring tensions between Israelis and Palestinians in the region, coupled with an ever-increasing number of critics populating social media, has made speaking out on the matter a tough balancing act for celebrities supporting either side. Those who have called for a ceasefire, thrown their support behind Palestinians or Israel or maintained a public silence, have been roundly criticized.

While the criticism of those who speak out about the conflict makes the silence of others understandable, Evan Nierman, CEO of global PR firm Red Banyan, previously told Newsweek that celebrities should be applauded, not attacked, for being willing to share their points of view.

"I think that this is a tricky situation, because on the one hand, people reflexively want to somehow strike a balance [when it comes to] the death of innocents on both sides, which makes sense," Nierman said. "However, there is a fundamental difference between that and targeting innocent civilians, for murder and mutilation.

"So I don't think playing the moral equivalency game goes very far when you're trying to compare a Western-style democracy that operates with integrity to a bloodthirsty terrorist organization.

"And I think that there are a lot of people who do not understand the dynamics at play. They have very little knowledge of the details of Hamas, their ideology, and yet they just want to have comments on what's going on."

Nierman, author of The Cancel Culture Curse, believes that heightened emotions around the conflict have made public figures feel compelled to share their opinions on the matter, even if those opinions are unpopular. This has seen several non-Jewish celebrities also condemned for their statements on the war.

"It's a scary scenario and a scary situation," Nierman said. "And there is so much misinformation, and there's so much hatred. And this has the potential to spiral well outside of the Middle East, and impact the lives of other people globally—especially within the Jewish community. I do think it takes a level of moral courage to weigh in on this topic, and by being willing to say things that will be unpopular with a certain set online."