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Matthew Lillard ‘ashamed’ he returned to ‘Scream’ after Melissa Barrera fired for Israel-Gaza posts

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Cite

Madani, D. (2026, September 17). Matthew Lillard ‘ashamed’ he returned to ‘Scream’ after Melissa Barrera fired for Israel-Gaza posts. NBC News. https://www.nbcnews.com/pop-culture/pop-culture-news/matthew-lillard-ashamed-returned-scream-franchise-melissa-barrera-fire-rcna598313

Dated when The Aporia collected the article, usually within hours of publication. Check the original for its exact date and byline.

NBC News · collected 2026-09-17 · by Doha Madani

Quick Summary

Matthew Lillard expressed regret and shame during a Q&A session at an Austin, Texas screening for the original "Scream" film, admitting he was on the "wrong side of history" for returning to the franchise after Melissa Barrera was fired from "Scream 7." Barrera's firing came following her social media posts about the Israel-Gaza conflict, which included accusations against Israel and references to Palestinian rights. Lillard’s comments reflect broader discussions about artists facing career consequences for taking political stances on social media.
Written by AI on 2026-09-17, from this article's own text only (the story summary below draws on all the coverage).

AI analysis

Story summary

Matthew Lillard, an actor known for his role in the Scream franchise, expressed shame during a Q&A at a "Scream" 30th anniversary screening in Austin, Texas, about returning to the series after Melissa Barrera was fired. Barrera had been set to star in "Scream 7" but was dropped by Spyglass Entertainment in November 2023 due to social media posts supporting Palestine and criticizing Israel's actions during the conflict with Hamas. Lillard admitted he felt "embarrassed," saying, "I’m on the wrong side of history for that." Despite his regret, Lillard acknowledged that his excitement to return overshadowed considerations about Barrera’s situation at the time.

Written for “Matthew Lillard Scream Ashamed” on 2026-11-04, grounded in this article and the 2 other(s) covering the same event.

Story

📰 Matthew Lillard Scream Ashamed
Entertainment · 3 article(s) covering the same event. Compare every outlet's account →

Compared with similar articles

This article reads leans strongly left and hedges 15% of its claims. Each row says how that neighbour differs.
New York Post
Hedges 2 of 33 claims Outlet record 66/100
How this article was measured signals, leaning charts, publisher record, byline, topics and claims

Signals How these are calculated →

Claims extracted
26
sentences that state something as happening or true
Uncertain
15%
4 of 26 hedged ("reportedly", "may", "according to")
Leaning
Leans strongly left
of the writing, not the subject · beta estimate
Publisher signals
78/100
NBC News's corrections and hedging, across everything collected from it. Not a measure of accuracy.
Outlets on this story
3
Entertainment
Same framing elsewhere
1
articles that frame the event the way this one does
Analyzed 2026-09-17 · how these are computed

How this is being covered How these are calculated →

Article leaning vs. publisher reliability
Source leaning vs. consistency

Publisher

NBC News · 2116 article(s) · 2 correction(s) detected
Running correction rate · 2 correction(s)

Who wrote this

Doha Madani
11 article(s) here · 1 carrying a prediction
🔮 “I have so many great memories, but I’m also sad, because I really wish that I could pick up the phone and be like: ‘Hey, dude, people really care about that movie.
🔮 Celine Dion is being made into a doll, one that will be sought by fans near, far, wherever they are.
🔮 Seaver wrote that he would “ratf--- every Herschend entity I can possibly conjure.”
🔮 Ridgeway, who wasn’t a member of the coalition and couldn’t attend its meeting, later reviewed the group’s report on Gann.
🔮 Officials were concerned that the the tourists would be at risk for hypothermia due to the winds and temperature.
🔮 Though existing laws required someone to disclose whether they were being paid to post, there was no liability provision that officials could use to enforce the rule.
🔮 Barrera starred in “Scream 6” and was expected to return for the seventh installment of the hit horror franchise, but was fired in 2023.
🔮 He specified that the money was the entirety of his net earnings from Sheeran’s tour, and that it would go to six organizations working to support Palestinians.
🔮 Rowe posted his statement to Instagram as well, saying in part that he could not stand by while billionaires silenced voices speaking up against “Israeli genocide” and those who highlight the “savage murder of children.”
🔮 “Ed also told me that Kraft had rallied some of the other stadium owners and collectively they gave him an ultimatum: if Macklemore stays on the tour, you will not be allowed to play in our venues,” Macklemore wrote.
Also by Doha Madani
Nothing else under this byline is closely related to this article, so these are simply their most recent.
All 11 articles by Doha Madani →

Topics

Israel Sheeran Spyglass Media Group Variety pro-Palestinian

Subjects

Barrera PERSON · 6× Lillard PERSON · 6× Israel GPE · 5× Macklemore PERSON · 4× Melissa Barrera PERSON · 2× Sheeran PERSON · 2× Spyglass Media Group ORG · 2× Variety ORG · 2× pro-Palestinian NORP · 2× Matthew Lillard PERSON · 1×

Narrative

Lillard described it as a “great question” and referred to the ongoing situation with singer Ed Sheeran, who is facing backlash after venues pressured him to drop Macklemore from his tour over his pro-Palestinian remarks. “I don’t think it’s easy all the time,” he said, before referring to Barrera.
framing: assertive · carried by 1 article(s) · first seen 2026-09-17
🔮 Barrera starred in “Scream 6” and was expected to return for the seventh installment of the hit horror franchise, but was fired in 2023.

Claims (26 extracted, 4 hedged)

Matthew Lillard expressed regret on Tuesday over his decision to film “Scream 7” after actor Melissa Barrera was fired from the franchise over her social media about the Israel-Gaza war, saying he was “on the wrong side of history.” asserted
he → express → history
Video showed the actor speaking to fans during a Q&A at a 30th anniversary screening for the original “Scream” at a Regal movie theater in Austin, Texas. asserted
actor → show → Austin
It’s unclear what the question was, as the video only shows Lillard speaking, but it appears to be related to celebrities taking stances on political topics. uncertain
celebrities → ’ → topics
Lillard described it as a “great question” and referred to the ongoing situation with singer Ed Sheeran, who is facing backlash after venues pressured him to drop Macklemore from his tour over his pro-Palestinian remarks. “I don’t think it’s easy all the time,” he said, before referring to Barrera. asserted
he → describe → Barrera
Barrera starred in “Scream 6” and was expected to return for the seventh installment of the hit horror franchise, but was fired in 2023. asserted
Barrera → star → 2023
Spyglass Media Group, the production company behind the film, confirmed it had dropped Barrera after she shared Instagram posts condemning Israel. asserted
she → confirm → Israel
According to a Variety report, Barrera’s post included references to Israel as a “colonized” land and reshared posts that accused Israel of “genocide and ethnic cleansing.” uncertain
that → accord → genocide
Another post said that “Western media only shows the (Israeli) side.” asserted
media → say → side
“Why do they do that, I will let you deduce for yourself,” the post reportedly said. uncertain
post → do → yourself
Spyglass Media Group told Variety in a statement that it has zero tolerance for “antisemitism or the incitement of hate in any form.” asserted
it → tell → form
Barrera initially declined to comment, but later told the Associated Press that she was “grateful” for everything that had happened and felt it was an “awakening.” asserted
it → decline → everything
“Melissa Barrera, who’s a beautiful actor, was fired for what she said after the whole Palestinian— what started happening in Israel,” Lillard said. asserted
Lillard → ’ → Israel
“It’s really f---ing bulls--- and really hard and she’s on the right side of history.” asserted
she → ’ → history
“But the whole world should have popped up and said, ‘She’s right.’ asserted
She → pop → ?
And they didn’t. asserted
they → do → ?
And that’s brutal,” he said. asserted
he → ’ → ?
The “Scream” actor’s remarks come days after rapper Macklemore was dropped from Sheeran’s tour over a speech and performance centered on his pro-Palestinian views. asserted
Macklemore → come → views
Macklemore, whose real name is Ben Haggerty, said Monday that venues threatened to cancel Sheeran’s shows in response to the rapper saying “Free Palestine” on stage. asserted
rapper → say → stage
Among those involved was New England Patriots and Gillette Stadium owner Robert Kraft, who Macklemore accused of organizing a boycott against the rapper. asserted
Macklemore → involve → rapper
While talking about the consequences Barrerra suffered, Lillard said, “And when they start coming after your job, sometimes things are worth it.” asserted
things → talk → job
He noted that he “got called out” for returning to the “Scream” franchise in the same film Barrera was set to star in. asserted
Barrera → note → film
Lillard described himself as being on “the wrong side of history” for that choice. asserted
Lillard → describe → choice
“I feel bad about that, I feel ashamed about that,” Lillard said. asserted
Lillard → feel → that
“Because in that moment I was so excited to go back that I didn’t really think about Melissa and that journey and didn’t say no. asserted
I → go → Melissa
And I’m embarrassed, and that’s the truth.” asserted
that → ’m → ?
“I still like being in the movie, but it may not have been the best idea,” he said. uncertain
he → like → movie
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