Matthew Lillard ‘Ashamed’ Over ‘Scream 7’ Return After Melissa Barrera Exit

Matthew Lillard says he regrets returning to the Scream franchise for Scream 7 after Melissa Barrera was removed from the film in 2023, telling fans that he feels “ashamed” because he did not think enough about her situation before accepting the role.

Lillard, who originated the role of Stu Macher in the 1996 original and returned for Scream 7, made the comments during a Q&A following a 30th-anniversary screening of Scream in Austin this week. His remarks were reported by Variety, Entertainment Weekly and other entertainment outlets after footage from the event circulated online.

Discussing the difficulty of speaking publicly about political and social issues, Lillard turned to Barrera’s 2023 departure from the franchise.

“Melissa Barrera, who’s a beautiful actor, was fired for what she said about the Israel-Palestine conflict, Lillard said, according to footage and reports of the Q&A. He criticized the lack of public support for the actress and said he believed she had been treated unfairly.

He then addressed his own decision to return to the franchise.

“I went back to do ‘Scream,’ and I got called out,” Lillard said. “I feel bad about that. I feel ashamed about that. Because in that moment I was so excited to go back, I didn’t really think about Melissa and that journey. I didn’t say no.”

He added: “I’m embarrassed; that’s the truth … I blew that. I’m on the wrong side of history for that. I still like being in the movie [but] it may not have been the best idea.”

Why Melissa Barrera left ‘Scream 7’

Barrera, who played Sam Carpenter in 2022’s Scream and 2023’s Scream VI, was removed from Scream 7 in November 2023 after Spyglass Media Group objected to social-media posts she made about the Israel-Gaza conflict.

Spyglass said at the time that it had “zero tolerance for antisemitism or the incitement of hate in any form,” including what it described as false references to genocide and ethnic cleansing, Holocaust distortion, and other material it considered hate speech.

Barrera subsequently condemned antisemitism and Islamophobia and said she intended to continue speaking about issues she considered important. In a statement posted on Instagram, she said, “Silence is not an option for me.”

The circumstances surrounding Barrera’s dismissal became a major turning point for the seventh Scream film. Jenna Ortega, who had starred alongside Barrera in the previous two movies, also departed the project, while director Christopher Landon ultimately left. The film was subsequently rebuilt around Neve Campbell’s Sidney Prescott, with franchise creator Kevin Williamson directing.

Lillard returned as Stu Macher

Lillard ultimately joined the reworked film, reprising his role as Stu Macher, the character he played in the original Scream.

• Scream 7* was released in theaters on February 27, 2026. Paramount said the film became the highest-grossing installment in the franchise’s 30-year history after passing $200 million worldwide. The studio also confirmed Lillard as part of the returning cast alongside Neve Campbell, Courteney Cox and David Arquette.

The commercial performance of the film does not appear to have changed Lillard’s personal view of the decision to participate. His comments focused on what he now considers a failure to think more carefully about Barrera’s position before accepting the opportunity to return.

At the same time, Lillard made clear that he still valued the experience of playing Stu again. His criticism was directed at his own decision-making rather than a claim that he regretted every aspect of making the film.

A changed ‘Scream’ franchise

The seventh film ultimately moved forward without Barrera and Ortega and with a substantially different story from the version originally being developed.

Paramount’s official description of Scream 7 centers on Campbell’s Sidney Prescott and her daughter, who becomes the target of a new Ghostface killer. The studio has described the film as the franchise’s highest-grossing entry following its theatrical release.

Lillard’s latest comments add another retrospective layer to the production’s turbulent history. Rather than presenting his participation as an uncomplicated return to a character he first played nearly three decades ago, he now says the excitement of returning caused him to overlook the circumstances surrounding Barrera’s departure.

For now, Lillard’s remarks are the latest public reflection from a major Scream cast member on the controversy that reshaped the seventh film. Barrera is no longer part of the franchise’s current storyline, while the series itself has continued beyond the dispute surrounding the film’s production.