Queer Scream 7 star Anna Camp offered an apology after she came under fire for resharing a social media post, which mocked a fan-led boycott in support of former Scream star Melissa Barrera.
The 43-year-old Pitch Perfect actress shared a social media post over the weekend promoting Scream 7 — which Camp stars in as protagonist Sidney Prescott’s friend — that hit back against public backlash of the film. This backlash was in response to Barrera previously being dropped from the horror franchise due to public comments she made in 2023 in support of Palestine.
This shared post, originally created by Scream With Ryan C. Showers podcast’s official account, read, “The boycott didn’t work, the critics didn’t work, the pathetic leaks didn’t work. What worked was audiences coming out and making the film a success. #Scream7." The soundtrack for the post was the Taylor Swift song "Karma."
In response to the backlash she received, Camp deleted her original reposting and issued an apology March 1 on X. “It has come to my attention that I reposted someone else’s story that does not reflect my personal beliefs,” the statement reads. “I have since deleted the repost because I absolutely meant no harm. I’m sorry to anyone who was affected.”
Scream franchise creator Kevin Williamson, who directed the seventh film, also opened up about the protests at the film’s Los Angeles premiere in an interview with Variety. “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,” he said.
Williams also addressed Barrera’s firing after she starred in the franchise’s fifth and sixth films and the subsequent fan boycotts. “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,” he told the outlet.
Barrera was dropped from Scream 7 in 2023 after she called the war in Palestine a "genocide and ethnic cleansing," which Scream production company Spyglass said was "hate speech" that violated its "zero tolerance for antisemitism.”
In the wake of her firing, Barrera responded in an Instagram Story, where she said she had a responsibility to use her fame for good.
“First and foremost I condemn Anti-Semitism and Islamophobia,” she said. “I condemn hate and prejudice of any kind against any group of people. As a Latina, a proud Mexicana, I feel the responsibility of having a platform that allows me the privilege of being heard, and therefore I have tried to use it to raise awareness about issues I care about and to lend my voice to those in need. Every person on this earth — regardless of religion, race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation or socio-economic status — deserves equal human rights, dignity and, of course, freedom.”
Scream 7's opening weekend box office was the highest of the films in its long-running franchise. It opened with $64.1 million domestically and $97.2 million internationally, reports Deadline. Its Rotten Tomatoes score currently stands at an abysmal 32 percent with critics.
