Jenna Ortega only appeared in two of the soon-to-be seven Scream movies, but she’s made quite an impact with longtime fans of the franchise. That’s why the effects of her shocking exit from Scream 7 are still being felt today.
It’s been an odd story of why she left, with scheduling often being cited, but fans were quick to point out that it wasn’t adding up. Playing the role of an actress who was not trying to ruffle even more industry feathers, Jenna Ortega rarely spoke about it other than being favorable to those still involved and those fired.
While speaking to The Cut to promote her film Death of a Unicorn [read our review here], Ortega finally addressed this situation, giving an answer that many expected.
In this new interview, Ortega revealed, “It had nothing to do with pay or scheduling. 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.”
The ‘Melissa stuff’ is about Melissa Barrera being fired from Scream 7. The firing came from her social media posts supporting Palestine and criticizing Israel for “genocide and ethnic cleansing.”
After booting her from the leading role in the film, Spyglass Media Group said in a statement: “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.”
Scream 7 had a rocky road from there, with both lead actresses leaving the project and the directing group Radio Silence exiting. That led to talks with other filmmakers before landing on longtime franchise writer Kevin Williamson. This will mark Williamson’s second directing effort following 1999’s Teaching Mrs. Tingle. The production also brings back many familiar Scream faces, including Neve Campbell and Matthew Lillard, the latter of whom has long been rumored to return to the franchise following his apparent death in the first movie.
SEE ALSO: Melissa Barrera is okay with where she left things in Scream
As for Ortega, she has quite the busy 2025 ahead of her. She is currently promoting Death of a Unicorn and is set to star in this year’s Hurry Up Tomorrow, co-starring with The Weeknd. Later in the year, the actress also returns in Netflix’s Wednesday, which will surely be another big hit for the streamer.
Scream 7 is set for release by Paramount Pictures on February 27th, 2026.
