After conflicting reports, Jenna Ortega reveals why she really left the Scream franchise

Jenna Ortega has now revealed why she left the Scream franchise despite helming the new era of slasher films alongside her on-screen sister, Melissa Barrera. In 2022, Melissa and Jenna starred as Sam and Tara Carpenter in their battle against Ghostface, who this time was actually three separate people. They reprised their roles in Scream VI, but soon enough, they left the upcoming third instalment.

Over the last few months, we’ve seen just about everyone in Hollywood, my nan, and the kitchen sink sign on to the next Scream instalment, Scream 7. Neve Campbell is back as Sidney Prescott alongside Courteney Cox, Mason Gooding, and Jasmin Savoy Brow. Despite dying in earlier films, David Arquette, Matthew Lillard, and Skeet Ulrich are also expected to come back as their characters from the original films without Melissa and Jenna.

Melissa Barrera was sacked from Scream 7 over social media posts supporting Palestine and accusing Israel of “genocide and ethnic cleansing”, something Spyglass Media Group claimed were interpreted as antisemitic.

“Spyglass’ stance is unequivocally clear: We have zero tolerance for antisemitism or the incitement of hate in any form, including false references to genocide, ethnic cleansing, Holocaust distortion or anything that flagrantly crosses the line into hate speech,” a Spyglass spokesperson told Variety.

Jenna Ortega left the project soon after, and while she didn’t give a reason at the time, there was a lot of speculation. Some claimed it was due to pay disputes and scheduling conflicts, while others said it was to stand up for Melissa’s wrongful termination.

So, why did Jenna Ortega leave Scream?

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Setting the record straight, Jenna Ortega opened up about her Scream 7 exit in her cover interview for The Cut this week. Despite the rampant speculation, which did include the theory she was working on Wednesday season two instead, Jenna said it had nothing to do with pay disputes or scheduling.

“It had nothing to do with pay or scheduling,” Ortega said. “The Melissa stuff was happening, and it was all kind of falling apart.”

Scream VI directors Tyler Gillett and Matt Bettinelli-Olpin also left the project around the same time, reportedly because of scheduling conflicts with Abigail. That too contributed to Jenna’s untimely exit, as she told The Cut.

“If Scream VII wasn’t going to be with that team of directors and those people I fell in love with, then it didn’t seem like the right move for me in my career at the time,” she added.

At the time, Melissa told The Hollywood Reporter that she was deeply saddened by Spyglass’ decision, telling the publication: “None of this makes me happy. It was just all sad because I really, deeply care about the franchise. It’s just bad that it had to happen like that.”

She also thanked Jenna for her support: “She’s been very supportive of me, and we’re sisters for life.”

Scream 7 is set for a February 2026 release, that is, providing they don’t have any more sudden exits.

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