Hayden Panettiere Defends Co-Star Melissa Barrera Following 'Scream' Firing

Hayden Panettiere has Melissa Barrera‘s back.

If you weren’t aware, the two actresses co-starred in 2023′s Scream VI.

Back in November, Melissa, 33, was fired from the upcoming film Scream VII due to her social media posts voicing support for the people of Palestine.

Keep reading to find out what Hayden had to say…

In an interview published on Friday (January 26), Hayden, 34, voiced her thoughts on Melissa‘s firing.

“After she [spoke out], then a whole bunch of other actors and people in the industry started to do the same thing, right? It was almost like she just did it earlier than everyone else,” she told The Messenger.

Hayden also praised the manner in which her co-star has handled her abrupt exit from the franchise.

“Melissa is such a badass as a human being and as an actress,” she stated. “…She was hurt by it, but I think she took it in stride and was very, very gracious about it.”

If you haven’t seen, Melissa Barrera recently spoke about her Scream firing and described her current relationship with the cast.