Hayden Panettiere Speaks Out on Costar Melissa Barrera's 'Scream VII' Firing: "Very Unfair and Upsetting"

Two months after Melissa Barrera was fired from Scream VII following her support of Palestine on social media, her franchise costar Hayden Panettiere revealed in an interview with The Messenger that she felt the firing was "very unfair and upsetting." Panettiere added: "She was hurt by it, but I think she took it in stride and was very, very gracious about it.”

Barrera had posted in support of Palestine in the early days of the Israel-Palestine conflict, writing, "Why is it brown people are terrorists but white governments who act in similar ways are not?" among other pro-Palestinian posts. In early November, she was abruptly fired from the series over what Deadline calls "reposts in her Instagram stories [being] perceived as antisemitic." After she departed the series, Jenna Ortega also left over a reported salary dispute.

"I know who I am, and I know that what I said always came from a place of love and a place of humanity and a place of human rights and a place of freedom for people, which shouldn’t be controversial," Barrera told Rolling Stone of the controversy.

"You know, a lot of people hadn't really asked her how she felt," Panettiere told The Messenger. She added: "After she [spoke out], then a whole bunch of other actors and people in the industry started to do the same thing, right? It was almost like she just did it earlier than everyone else."

Panettiere concluded, "She was hurt by it, but I think she took it in stride and was very, very gracious about it."