“Scream 7” premiere draws pro-Palestine protesters, Melissa Barrera seemingly responds

Nick RomanoThu, February 26, 2026 at 1:23 PM UTC

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A Ghostface at the 'Scream 7' global premiere in Los AngelesCredit: Phillip Faraone/GettyKey Points -

Pro-Palestine protesters gathered outside the premiere of Scream 7 at the Paramount lot in Los Angeles.

Melissa Barrera, who was fired from the cast over her own remarks about the Israel-Hamas war in 2023, posted to social media as the demonstration continued.

Scream 7 director Kevin Williamson was asked for comment on the protesters on the red carpet.

The Scream 7 premiere drew out both the stars and the protesters on Wednesday night.

As Neve Campbell, Isabel May, Courteney Cox, David Arquette, and the cast came out to celebrate the global premiere of the latest slasher sequel at the Paramount Theatre in Los Angeles, a small group of pro-Palestine protesters gathered just outside the entrance to the Paramount Studios lot.

One sign read "Cancel Paramount+", while others waved the tricolored Palestine flag and played drums.

The protest was in connection to the firing of previous Scream star Melissa Barrera, who appeared to respond to the demonstration on social media. "I see you," Barrera posted on her Instagram Story Wednesday night along with a heart emoji.

Melissa Barrera posts to Instagram StoriesCredit: Melissa Barrera/Instagram

Entertainment Weekly has reached out to Barrera's reps for further comment.With 2022's Scream and 2023's Scream 6, Barrera became the new lead of the meta horror franchise as Sam Carpenter, the secret love child of deceased Ghostface killer Billy Loomis (Skeet Ulrich), who returned in ghost form to taunt her daughter from beyond the grave. As production company Spyglass started gearing up for Scream 7, it dropped the actress in late 2023 for making pro-Palestine statements on social media and criticizing the actions of Israel in the Israel-Hamas war.

In a statement about the decision, Spyglass said at the time it has "zero tolerance for antisemitism or the incitement of hate in any form." Barrera responded by condemning antisemitism while emphasizing the importance of using her platform "to raise awareness about issues I care about."

The move prompted a massive creative overhaul as director Christopher Landon and Barrera's costar Jenna Ortega also exited the production as a result. Ortega's departure was originally chalked up to scheduling with her Netflix series Wednesday, but the actress has since come out to acknowledge that wasn't the case. "It was all kind of falling apart," she told The Cut last year.

Kevin Williamson, the original Scream scribe, was then tapped to write and direct the seventh film, which would now pivot back to Sidney Prescott. Campbell, the actress behind the OG lead character, notably sat out Scream 6 over a pay dispute. The Scream 7 opening in theaters this weekend is now the story of a new Ghostface targeting Sidney's daughter Tatum (May), who's the same age Sidney was when the horrors began in 1996's Scream.

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Guests at the premiere on Wednesday were asked by press about the pro-Palestine protesters and Barrera's firing.

"We live in America, we have the right to protest," Williamson told Deadline on the red carpet. "We have a right to be heard and we have a right to speak to what your truth is, and so I support that."

The filmmaker remarked to Variety separately, "We live in a world where a lot of bad things are happening out there, and I think a lot of people want to be heard and they want to have their voice heard about the bad stuff that’s happening. My heart goes out to them. I don’t know if canceling Paramount+ is the way to do it. But I think people should listen to their inner self and do what feels good for them.”

Jasmin Savoy Brown and Mason Gooding, who play twins Mindy and Chad Meeks-Martin, are the last vestiges of the "Core Four" Scream 5 and 6 characters who return for Scream 7. Brown commented to Deadline on Barrera at the premiere, saying, "Melissa, Jenna, Mason, and I all remain close. We're really good friends. We love each other, we support each other's work. Of course we miss them because we came up in this franchise together, and I'm just so grateful to be back because Mindy means a lot to me. To play a queer, Black character in a franchise like this, visibility matters and I'm really proud to play Mindy."

Melissa Barrera and Jenna Ortega in 'Scream VI'Credit: Philippe Bosse/Paramount Pictures/Everett

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Prior to the premiere, Entertainment Weekly interviewed Gooding, who spoke about "taking my time to grieve" the work of Scream 5 and 6 while "trying to find a way to relate to the work that had been done."

"[It] meant making sure, certainly privately and also professionally, that the understanding of family and collaboration was still present and intact and respected so that whatever the franchise became afterwards, whether or not I was involved, was hopefully done in a way that…The creatives behind it, in this case Kevin and Neve, finding a way to create their collaborative effort after taking so long away from it, getting their recompense, and having the return of their influence on the franchise, hopefully, is just done in a way that you can support that and be respectful to that," he said.

on Entertainment Weekly

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