Jenna Ortega breaks silence on Scream exit

Jenna Ortega has confirmed that her exit from the Scream franchise had "nothing to do with" scheduling issues.

The Wednesday actress starred alongside Melissa Barrera as the sisters Tara and Sam Carpenter in 2022's Scream and the 2023 follow-up Scream VI.

In late 2023, Barrera was fired from the franchise over her social media posts about the Israel-Hamas conflict, and shortly afterwards, it was reported that Ortega would not be returning either due to scheduling issues.

However, in a new interview with The Cut, the Beetlejuice Beetlejuice actress revealed that she didn't want to sign up for Scream 7 without Barrera and their directors Tyler Gillett and Matt Bettinelli-Olpin, who had left the project months earlier.

"It had nothing to do with pay or scheduling... The Melissa stuff was happening, and it was all kind of falling apart," she stated. "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."

Barrera previously addressed her and Ortega's exits, telling The Hollywood Reporter of her co-star, "She's been very supportive of me, and we're sisters for life."

Mason Gooding and Jasmin Savoy Brown, who were part of the core four with Barrera and Ortega, will be back in Scream 7, which is currently in production.

They will star alongside returning legacy stars Neve Campbell and Courteney Cox as well as newcomers such as Joel McHale, Anna Camp and Mckenna Grace.

Scream 7, which is being directed by original Scream writer Kevin Williamson, will be released in cinemas on 27 February 2026.