Boycotts and Twitter mobs aren’t just for politics, they pop up in entertainment, too. And they were sure to make their voices heard about the newest addition to the Scream saga that’s been ongoing since the 90’s. 

Melissa Barrera, a star from Scream 5 and 6 who played the role of an incredibly important main character, was dropped from the new film after making statements supporting Palestinian rights.  Fans who loved her started a boycott of Scream 7 to show their support for Barrera. When the movie was finally released, horror fans who skipped it were outraged to see actress Anna Camp (from Pitch Perfect) sharing a post mocking the boycott online. Her repost said, “The boycott didn’t work… audiences came out and made the film a success,” with “Karma” by Taylor Swift playing in the background, clearly just rubbing salt in the wound.

The comment rubbed fans and some media the wrong way with Camp quickly deleting the post and apologizing on social media. In a statement she explained that she “meant no harm”, and that the repost didn’t reflect her personal beliefs. The director of Scream 7 (Kevin Williamson) later weighed in, defending the fans’ right to protest but questioning if canceling a studio is the best approach. 

Meanwhile, Barrera’s original firing was tied directly to her political remarks. The BBC reported she was dropped after calling the war in Palestine a “genocide”. This really shows how fast on-screen entertainment can collide with real-world issues, as people are now calling the studio a “Zionist Agency” due to this scandal.