Melissa Barrera says tour walkouts for Macklemore left her emotional
Melissa Barrera says she felt emotional watching musicians quit Ed Sheeran's American tour in support of Macklemore. She made the comments in an AP interview reported by Variety on 19 September 2026. She said she respected the acts who walked away after Macklemore was dismissed over his support for Palestine.
Barrera knows the cost of that kind of stand. She was fired from the Scream franchise in 2023 over social media posts criticising Israel amid the war in Gaza. She had starred as Sam Carpenter in 2022's Scream and in Scream VI.
Macklemore was removed from Sheeran's U.S. Loop Tour on 14 September, ten days after his onstage moment. He had said "Free Palestine" during the 4 September concert at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey. A pro-Israel organisation then launched a petition calling for his removal, as reported by The Hollywood Reporter on 6 September.
The response was swift. Finneas and Aaron Rowe pulled out of the tour citing support for Macklemore. The New York Times reported on 16 September that four supporting acts had left in total, citing the right to free speech. Finneas announced his own withdrawal in an Instagram post, according to CNN.
Barrera called it beautiful to see Finneas and the opening acts pull out in support of Macklemore. It made her emotional, she said. She added that she did not receive similar support when she was fired. It was too soon, she said, and people were too scared.
The Scream series is still dealing with the fallout from her exit. Jenna Ortega and director Christopher Landon dropped out of Scream 7 after Barrera was let go. Protesters gathered at the Scream 7 premiere in February, and Anna Camp apologised in March for sharing a promotional post about the film. Matthew Lillard, who appears in the 2026 Scream 7 instalment, said this month he feels ashamed for starring in it after Barrera was fired for pro-Palestine posts.
The tour dispute has drawn other voices into the debate. Pink published a statement on 11 September explaining her criticism of Macklemore's pro-Palestine performances from her perspective as a Jewish woman. That statement set out her own view of why his remarks had caused offence.
For Barrera, the contrast is personal. She lost a leading franchise role. Three years on, she is watching other artists make a different choice and get praised for it.
