Matthew Lillard Confirms Scream Characters Billy And Stu Were Gay Lovers

Matthew Lillard, star of the original Scream film has confirmed a long held fan theory about the characters Billy Loomis and Stu Macher.

Fans have long theorised that the two killers from the first film where secretly lovers.

Now Lillard, who played Stu Macher in the film, has set the record straight (no pun intended) on his opinion about their relationship in the iconic film.

Matthew Lillard confirms Billy & Stu were “husbands of horror”

It’s crazy to think that nearly thirty years later the original Scream film is still being discussed and dissected in the media.

However with the 7th film in production it seems that audiences love of the iconic film which redefined a new generation of slasher films is still fresh and eager for more.

As more of the films have progressed over the years the Scream universe has expanded as legacy characters return and depart and family ties from the older films emerge, including the Scream 5 twist that one of the original killers, Billy Loomis (Skeet Ulrich), secretly fathered a daughter before his death.

With this retrospective focus on the films and their characters fan theories have continued to run rife on the internet, including a widely popular fan theory and Billy Loomis and Stu Macher were secretly gay lovers.

It’s not a huge stretch of the imagination when you recall the sexually charged ending to the first iconic film as the pair emerge, revealing themselves to Sidney Prescott as the men behind the masks.

In fact when you watch the compilation of moments between the two below, the theory that the two may have been lovers seems even less of a stretch.

Some fans have even gone as far as to create their own photoshopped fan pics of the two, which got plenty of attention last year.

As more details emerge about Scream 7, including the return of Neve Campbell, fans have also speculated about the return of Stu Macher, another long fan theory that he may not in fact be dead, angling for a return to the franchise.

Matthew Lillard appeared at the Silver Screen Con where he was also joined by co-stars Skeet Ulrich and Rose McGowan.

When the panel were asked about the gay relationship between the two McGowan responded saying “I feel maybe that’s a motive in Tatum’s death” she said of her character stating it could be a“deep subplot that maybe they weren’t even aware of.”

But Lillard doubled down on that theory confirming that he believed the two were in fact a couple.

“Maybe we were totally aware. We are the first husbands of horror. The reason I love it is because there’s a lot of hatred in the world right now” he said.

“I love standing up and saying we are the first gay couple ever in the horror movie and there’s nothing they can f**king say about it. You can’t touch it, you can’t take it away. So, if there’s a little gay kid out there going, ‘Oh my god’, we see you, we love you.”

Kevin Williamson, the screenwriter of the original film had previously called the pair and their relationship “homoerotic” likening them to famous gay killers Leopold and Loeb.

Williamson himself is gay and spoke of the films “gay coding” to The Independent in 2024.

“As a gay kid, I related to the final girl and to her struggle, because it’s what one has to do to survive as a young gay kid, too” he said.

“You’re watching this girl survive the night and survive the trauma she’s enduring. Subconsciously, I think the Scream movies are coded in gay survival.”

Actress Neve Campbell who played the iconic survivor Sidney Prescott in 5 of 6 films so far was also drawn into the discussion when interview by Pride Source in 2022.

“Perhaps, perhaps. Yeah, it’s very much a possibility, and now that [writer Kevin Williamson] is out and talking more about that, I would imagine that’s a big part of his thinking” she said when asked of the possibility of a relationship between Billy and Stu.

“If I were to theorise, I would say that there was perhaps some confusion with them. Pretty confused guys. And that maybe some of their anger comes from not being allowed to be who they want to be, if you wanna go there.”

Scream 7 is set for release in early 2026 and with Billy Loomis having returned in previous films via flashback scenes there is a possibility Stu Macher may follow suit, possibly allowing their relationship more screen time than before.

Currently there is only one queer character to appear in the franchise with actress Jasmin Savoy Brown playing the of Mindy Meeks-Martin in Scream 5 & 6, she is also set to reprise her role in the upcoming film.