Matthew Lillard Says He Regrets Joining Scream 7 After Melissa Barrera's 2023 Firing
Updated
Updated · Hollywood Reporter · Sep 17
Matthew Lillard Says He Regrets Joining Scream 7 After Melissa Barrera's 2023 Firing
3 articles · Updated · Hollywood Reporter · Sep 17
Summary
Matthew Lillard said he feels “embarrassed” and ashamed for returning to Scream 7, saying he did not fully consider Melissa Barrera’s firing when he agreed to reprise Stu Macher.
In a recent Q&A video, Lillard said Barrera was “on the right side of history” for supporting Palestinians in 2023 and called the backlash against her “bullshit” and “brutal.”
Barrera was dropped from the franchise in November 2023 after social media posts about the Israel-Hamas war; Spyglass said at the time it had zero tolerance for antisemitism or hate speech.
That fallout also led Jenna Ortega and director Christopher Landon to exit Scream 7, before Neve Campbell later returned as the franchise tried to reset around the seventh film.