Melissa Barrera Praises Artists Backing Macklemore — SkimNews
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- Melissa Barrera said seeing Finneas and other openers pull out of Ed Sheeran's tour to support Macklemore was 'beautiful' and made her 'emotional,' explicitly contrasting it with the silence she faced when Spyglass fired her from the 'Scream' franchise in 2023.
- Macklemore was removed from Ed Sheeran's U.S. Loop Tour on Sept. 14 after delivering a 'Free Palestine' speech onstage at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey on Sept. 4.
- Openers including Finneas and Aaron Rowe dropped out of the tour citing support for Macklemore; another opener, Rowe, separately defended Sheeran against criticism of the firing.
- Spyglass justified firing Barrera with a statement citing 'zero tolerance for antisemitism or the incitement of hate,' though Barrera's posts had criticized Israel over the Gaza war.
- Barrera's 'Scream' castmates remained largely silent at the time of her firing; co-star Matthew Lillard only recently said he feels 'ashamed' for starring in this year's 'Scream 7.'
- Barrera framed the Macklemore walkout as evidence that 'things have changed' and said she hopes it will 'inspire real change,' while wondering aloud what would have happened had Ed Sheeran refused to drop Macklemore.
Why it matters: Artists expressing pro-Palestine views now face less industry isolation than in 2023, when Barrera's 'Scream' firing drew near-total silence; the Macklemore walkout, with Finneas and Aaron Rowe among openers dropping out after his Sept. 14 firing, gives vocal artists a precedent for collective defense that didn't exist when Barrera was cut.
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