Jenna Ortega has finally broken her silence about her decision to exit the iconic Scream franchise. And no, it had nothing to do with money. The Wednesday star addressed the rumors in a wide-ranging interview with The Cut, making it crystal clear: Her exit was deeply personal and rooted in the unraveling chaos behind the scenes of Scream VII.

“It had nothing to do with pay or scheduling,” Ortega confirmed to The Cut in her interview published on April 1, 2025. “The Melissa stuff was happening, and it was all kind of falling apart. 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.”

Her exit is the latest gut punch for a franchise that has bled cast and credibility over the last year, and the implications are brutal.

THE MELISSA BARRERA FALLOUT: WHAT HAPPENED?

Let’s not sugarcoat this. Jenna Ortega’s departure is intrinsically linked to the very public and highly controversial firing of Melissa Barrera, her on-screen sister and real-life co-star in Scream V and Scream VI.

Barrera, who portrayed Sam Carpenter, was axed from Scream VII in November 2023 after sharing pro-Palestinian posts on social media during the height of the Israel-Hamas war. Spyglass Media, the studio behind Scream, cited her posts as “antisemitic,” sparking immediate backlash from fans and critics alike.

Barrera, however, stood by her stance. In an emotional follow-up interview with Rolling Stone, she described the ordeal as “the darkest and hardest” period of her life, revealing that “job offers completely dried up” following the controversy.

With Barrera out, Ortega’s loyalty was tested. And she chose solidarity.

DIRECTORS DITCHED, CAST IN TURMOIL: BEHIND THE CURTAIN OF SCREAM VII

The cracks in the Scream machine didn’t stop with Barrera. The original creative team, including directors Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett of Radio Silence, also stepped away from the project. Their absence left a gaping hole in the franchise’s DNA, one that Ortega refused to overlook.

“If it 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,” Ortega emphasized.

This wasn’t just a scheduling conflict. It was a mass exodus.

Without its core cast or directorial vision, Scream VII has become an orphaned sequel in search of a soul and a cast. The slasher series, once lauded for its metacommentary and youthful ensemble, now faces a creative crisis.

NEVE CAMPBELL RETURNS, BUT IS IT ENOUGH?

In a twist that feels ripped from a Scream script, Neve Campbell, the original final girl Sidney Prescott herself, announced her return to the franchise in March 2024, just months after exiting Scream VI over a pay dispute. She returns under one condition: that Kevin Williamson, the screenwriter behind the original Scream (1996), direct Scream VII.

“I’m honored to be stepping back into Sidney’s shoes,” Campbell said in a statement. “Especially with Kevin at the helm. It feels right.”

But insiders are skeptical. Can Campbell’s legacy salvage a franchise hemorrhaging its newest generation of stars?

JENNA ORTEGA’S CAREER: ALREADY UNTOUCHABLE

Let’s be clear. Jenna Ortega didn’t need Scream VII. The 22-year-old phenom has become a household name thanks to her role as the macabre, deadpan Wednesday Addams in Netflix’s record-breaking hit Wednesday. She also stars in A24’s upcoming dystopian thriller Death of a Unicorn alongside Paul Rudd and is currently a producer on Wednesday Season 2, which began filming in Ireland.

According to The Cut, Ortega has taken on more creative control than ever before. “This season, I’m a producer, which is exciting… I finally feel like I can say something,” she said.

Her career is skyrocketing. Scream might have helped put her on the horror map, but she’s now building her own universe.

THE FUTURE OF ‘SCREAM’: A FRANCHISE ON LIFE SUPPORT?

What was once the smartest, slickest slasher in the business has now become a cautionary tale of studio missteps and creative implosion. Scream VII is moving forward with Kevin Williamson at the helm and Neve Campbell returning to the fold, but it remains to be seen whether the next installment will recapture the franchise’s former glory or deliver its final death rattle.

No Melissa. No Jenna. No Radio Silence. No future?

In horror, no one is safe. And in Hollywood, even less so.