Gale Weathers (formerly Gale Riley) is the tritagonist of the Scream franchise (1996-present). She claims and later proves Cotton Weary's innocence and wrongful death row conviction of rape and murder in Maureen Prescott's 1995 murder trial. Alongside Maureen's daughter Sidney, she has solved and survived the events of all five Ghostface killing sprees, inspired by the original massacre created by Maureen's true killer, Billy Loomis.
The character is introduced as a famous, opportunistic news reporter in her 30s, and a journalist for Top Story in New York City. Amid the original Woodsboro Massacre in 1996, she develops an interest in the young sheriff deputy, Dewey Riley who she endures an on-off romance with during the franchise over 25 years, including marriage and separation, which ends in his murder. Gale avenges her former husband's death by setting his killer on fire.
As an author, Gale has written at least eight books based on Sidney Prescott's life, four real-life events (the original murder of Maureen, and the events of the original trilogy, as well as four fiction-based novels). Her best-seller The Woodsboro Murders (1997 book) is adapted into a slasher movie called Stab in 1998. During this time, a copycat killing spree occurs at Windsor College, Sidney's alumni targeting her. Nancy Loomis, who changes her appearance and uses a false identity, pretends to be a journalist who idolises Gale as a career template. Loomis seeks revenge against Gale for capitalising on the death of her psychopathic son.
After defeating the copycat killers, Gale nursed Dewey while he recovered from his near-death experience, before they break up, as she returns to LA. Mark Kincaid asks for Gale's help amid Cotton Weary's murder; a new killer targets Sunrise Studios making Stab 3 and claims responsibility for Maureen's death. After director Roman Bridger is revealed to be the killer, Dewey and Gale get engaged, and marry the following year.
In the decade time gap, Gale writes about the true events of the Hollywood killings, retires from reporting and writes four fiction based Ghostface books while residing in Woodsboro. She later struggles with writer's block for fiction. For the 15th anniversary of the original killings, Gale is given an opportunity to return to reporting when a new killer strikes the town, much to her sheriff husband's dismay. After she learns Jill wants to write a book about how she was stabbed on the shoulder, she discovers Jill Roberts is the killer, as she would have no idea of her injury otherwise.
A few years later, Gale and Dewey relocate to New York where their marriage ends due to Dewey's own issues; he relocates to Woodsboro to struggle with alcoholism. As a morning news host, she is successful but creatively unfulfilled. Approaching the 25th anniversary of the original killing spree, Gale is upset Dewey has told her Ghostface is back with a simple text. After their dispute, Dewey dies saving Tara Carpenter's life, who shoots Dewey's killer Amber Freeman in the head after Gale lights her on fire.
Gale finally opts to quit tabloid media and stories about Ghostface forever, so that the killers die in anonymity. She suggests writing a biography about a "brave man who used to be the sheriff" in the town once, referencing Dewey.
Contents
Biography
The Woodsboro Murders
Gale Weathers, the reporter Gale, as she appeared in Scream (1996).
Gale is a reporter who wrote a book on Maureen Prescott's death, explaining how she thinks Cotton Weary is innocent. She is rude, bossy, and goes to great lengths to get a good story (such as secretly videotaping unsuspecting teens at a house party). After Casey Becker and her boyfriend are killed, she comes to the town and talks with Sidney about her book.
At the night of the party, Gale and Dewey find Neil Prescott's car in the bushes not far from the house. When they go back to the house, they see almost everyone has left the house so Dewey tell Gale to call for backup while he checks out the house. She runs to her van and notices her cameraman brutally murdered. Gale tries to drive away but crashes into a tree after swerving off the road while trying to avoid a terrified Sidney (who has escaped from the house).
Gale reports the turn of events.
Later, when Billy and Stu confront Sidney about their motive, an injured Gale arrives and pulls a gun on them. However, the safety is on and Billy kicks her against a pillar on the front porch where Dewey's unconscious body is lying. This gives Sidney time to escape and fight back. Just as Billy prepares to stab Sidney, Gale shoots him. Sidney then shoots Billy again as he suddenly wakes up - as Randy predicted - for "one last scare."
The Windsor College Murders
Gale Weathers, in Scream 2.
In Scream 2, she has written a new book about the murders that happened in Woodsboro. Sidney, although grateful she saved her life, refuses to do an interview with Cotton. Gale and Dewey's relationship, although strained at first, eventually turns heated.
Hide and Seek Gale hides from Ghostface in Scream 2.
After Randy's death, Gale and Dewey search for answers while also dealing with the problems in their relationship (Gale's intention toward Sidney with Cotton and what Gale wrote in her book about himself). The killer turns on footage of all the victims and the last taping is of them. They look in the projector room to see the killer filming them. They flee. Gale is pursuit heavily but narrowly escapes into a small room. After Dewey is finally able to communicate with her through a sound-prevention window, she witnesses Dewey getting stabbed multiple times in the back and believes he is dead. The killer pursues Gale once more but mysteriously disappears after there wasn't a way into the room.
In the climax, Gale is brought in by Mrs. Loomis, known as Debbie Salt throughout the movie, to the school theater. Mickey shoots Gale after Mrs. Loomis shoots him and she falls off the stage. However, the bullet bounces off Gale's ribs, allowing her to survive. Once the whole ordeal is over, Mickey suddenly springs to life and is shot to death by Sidney and Gale. During the end of the film, Gale finds out that Dewey is not dead and goes with him to the hospital to recover.
Hollywood Horror
In Scream 3, she is shown to be much more compassionate than in the first two films. She has written a third
Gale In Scream 3
book based on the copycat killings from the last movie. She returns along with Dewey after Cotton is murdered and the actors filming a third Stab movie are killed off. Again, in Scream 3, Gale and Dewey have an acrimonious relationship based on their past together.
Gale is first seen talking to a group of students about journalism. When the class ends, she meets up with Mark Kincaid, a detective who informs her about the death of Cotton. Shortly after this, goes to the set of Stab 3: Return to Woodsboro and is reunited with Dewey after meeting the actress who portrays her, Jennifer Jolie. Later, she goes to Jennifer's house to see Dewey. After jumping down the hill to avoid the explosion that killed Tom, the actor portraying Dewey in the new Stab movie, Gale, Dewey, Jennifer and Angelina all are split up. Gale is attacked by Ghostface, but is saved by Dewey.
She survives the climax in the Hollywood home of John Milton. At the end, Dewey asks Gale to marry him, which she accepts.
Return to Woodsboro
Gale is trying to reinvent herself as an author but finds that she is having trouble due to writer's block. When Sidney returns to Woodsboro and the killings start again, Gale is excited to have the opportunity to yet again be a part of solving the killings, even though Dewey doesn't want her involved in the investigation. Going "rogue" (as she puts it), Gale goes undercover at a Stab-a-thon party -- a party at a barn to screen the seven Stab films -- to catch the killer. However, Gale is attacked and nearly killed by Charlie as Ghostface in the barn on camera. Thankfully, Dewey made it to the barn
Gale and Ghostface Gale in Scream 4 with Ghostface behind her
in time to save her and rush her to the hospital. Gale is only stabbed in the shoulder and manages to recover.
Gale survives her wounds and pieces together who the killer is by simply using logic. She is present at the final confrontation, where she distracts Jill Roberts long enough for Sidney to get the upper hand with a defibrillator. She yet again survives, tending to Dewey, who is injured on the floor.
2021 Woodsboro Legacy Murders
Divorcing from Dewey
Sometime after the 2011 attacks, Gale and Dewey divorced and she moved to New York to host her own morning show, which Dewey was an avid viewer of. Gale since quit writing as she never had time to focus on it.
Returning to Woodsboro
When the murders in Woodsboro start again, Dewey texts Gale to let her know and she makes the decision to return to Woodsboro, just in time to learn that Judy has been killed. She expresses her anger with Dewey for only sending her a text and the two reconcile after years of being apart.
Mourning Dewey
When Dewey is murdered by Ghostface, Gale mourns the loss and she is reunited with Sidney, who made the decision to return to Woodsboro too. Sidney and Gale attempt to ask Samantha Carpenter for help to stop the Killer, but she declines and leaves with her boyfriend, Richie Kirsch, and sister, Tara Carpenter.
Unbeknownst to them, Sidney has left a tracker on Sam's car which they use to follow her all the way to 261 Turner Lane. As they arrive, they are met by a screaming Amber Freeman, however Gale senses the trap immediately and Amber shoots Gale, revealing herself as one of the killers. Gale tells Sidney to go inside and finish this, as they planned.
Ghostface Unmasked
Gale has been shot again.
When the second killer, Richie, is unmasked, Amber brings Gale inside to the kitchen where they are replicating the ending of the original Stab movie. Richie and Amber reveal their motive as attempting to create a "requel" to Stab 8, and Gale and Sidney then fight back, setting Amber on fire, killing her.
Samantha fights back against Richie and kills him by stabbing him repeatedly and then slitting his throat. As reporters dish on the murders, Samantha thanks Sidney and Gale for helping them, and then leaves in the ambulance with her sister. Gale reveals that she won't be writing about Richie and Amber, instead she will write about Dewey and the man he was, thus letting the Killers die in anonymity and their plan fail.
Committed Murders
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Mickey Altieri | Shot multiple times | Scream 2 |
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Amber Freeman | Burnt alive and shot through the head | Scream (2022) |
Relationships
Family
Allies
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Enemies
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Personality
Gale's character progresses throughout the 5 movies from opportunistic, glory hound to a caring, family woman. Surviving the murder sprees creates a bond between her, Sidney, and Dewey. In Scream, Gale ensures that she always gets the story, ordering Kenny to film anything that happens.
The first solid sign of her growing is in the middle and at the end of Scream 2, she shows more growth when she opts to go with Dewey to the hospital instead of covering the story of the Windsor College Murders. She never completely lets go of that sensationalist part of her but rather grows into a deeper character, adding a softer layer. Due to her surviving the events of all of the movies, she is a rather formidable survivor along with Sidney.
Quotes
- "Kenny, I know you're about 50 pounds overweight but when I say, 'hurry,' please interpret that as: 'Move your fat, tub of lard ass, NOW!'"
- "Guess I remembered the safety that time, bastard."
- "Hey, you'd better check your conscience at the door, sweetie. I'm not here to be loved."
- "I AM Gale Weathers."
- "I've got an ending for you. The reporter left for dead in the news van comes to, stumbles on you two dipshits, finds the gun, and saves the day."
- "Tell me that's his ex-girlfriend and I'll shoot my self."
- Going off of Jennifer Jolie's statement: "...and to be played by an actress with such depth and range!"
- "Dewey, open the fucking door! It's me!"
- "If I'm right about this, I could save a man's life. Do you know what that would do for my book sales?"
- "Oh and by the way, your lemon squares...taste like ass!"
- "Go ahead if you have the guts because I'm fucking famous!"
- "But could I just have one final word?" ("What, please?") "No... clear."
- "Are you familiar with the phrase I wrote the book on this?"
- "Listen, in about 2 seconds I'm gonna revitalise your face... with my tarnished brand!"
Trivia
- Gale was played by fictional actress Jennifer Jolie in Stab, Stab 2 and the cancelled Stab 3: Return to Woodsboro.
- Gale is both a reporter and an author.
- Gale wrote several books, including one about Weary's innocence, and on the Woodsboro Murders.
- Gale punched Jennifer Jolie (who played Gale). This symbolizes more of Gale's likeness and bond towards Sidney in trauma and survival. At times, Gale will display a survivor's edge look along with Sidney.
- Other than the fact she is married to Dewey, her own family hasn't appeared nor been mentioned in the series yet.
- Gale Weathers has been punched twice: once in Scream 1 and Scream 2, both by Sidney.
- In Scream 3, Gale becomes the one to punch Gale, in a meta way, showing her character growth. While in Scream 4, she threatens to punch Rebecca, showing she had softened even more.
- Actress and comedienne Janeane Garofalo was offered the part of Gale Weathers-Riley but she turned it down.
- During filming the first three films, Courteney Cox was starring in Friends as Monica Geller and surprisingly didn't miss a single episode even although she had to film for months from the first to the third films. Also, during Scream 4, she was starring in Cougar Town.
- Courteney Cox agreed to appear in Scream 3 only if it would be her final film but she came back for Scream 4 anyway.
- She was described as "Thirties; her smart face is overshadowed by a flashy smile and a massive mane of chemically enhanced hair" in the Scream script.
- In the original script for Scream 2, she was depicted as being closer to Sidney and was killed at the end of the script.
- She was described as "GALE WEATHERS, the flashy thirty-something news anchor and author of the WOODSBORO MURDERS" in the Scream 3 script.
- In Scary Movie, the parody character based on Gale is named "Gail Hailstorm" and has written a book entitled "You're Dead, I'm Rich".
Appearances
Character Guide
| Scream Characters | ||
| Principal Characters | Sidney Prescott • Gale Weathers • Dewey Riley • Ghostface | |
| Recurring Supporting Characters | Randy Meeks • Cotton Weary | |
| Supporting Characters | Billy Loomis • Tatum Riley • Stu Macher • Casey Becker • Steven Orth | |
| Recurring Minor Characters | Neil Prescott • Maureen Prescott • Hank Loomis | |
| Ghostface(s) | Billy Loomis • Stu Macher | |
| Scream 2 Characters | ||
| Principal Characters | Sidney Prescott • Gale Weathers • Dewey Riley • Ghostface | |
| Recurring Supporting Characters | Randy Meeks • Cotton Weary | |
| Supporting Characters | Cici Cooper • Derek Feldman • Hallie McDaniel • Joel • Maureen Evans • Mickey Altieri • Nancy Loomis • Phil Stevens | |
| Recurring Minor Characters | Maureen Prescott • Heather Graham • Nancy O'Dell | |
| Minor Characters | Officer Richards • Officer Andrews • Tori Spelling • Lois • Murphy • Lewis Hartley | |
| Ghostface(s) | Nancy Loomis • Mickey Altieri | |
| Scream 3 Characters | ||
| Principal Characters | Sidney Prescott • Gale Weathers • Dewey Riley • Ghostface | |
| Recurring Supporting Characters | Randy Meeks • Cotton Weary | |
| Supporting Characters | Angelina Tyler • Christine Hamilton • Jennifer Jolie • John Milton • Mark Kincaid • Martha Meeks • Roman Bridger • Sarah Darling • Steven Stone • Tom Prinze • Tyson Fox | |
| Recurring Minor Characters | Neil Prescott • Maureen Prescott • Hank Loomis | |
| Ghostface | Roman Bridger | |
| Scream 4 Characters | ||
| Principal Characters | Sidney Prescott • Gale Weathers • Dewey Riley • Ghostface | |
| Supporting Characters | Anthony Perkins • Charlie Walker • Jill Roberts • Judy Hicks • Kirby Reed • Kate Roberts • Olivia Morris • Rebecca Walters • Robbie Mercer • Deputy Hoss • Trevor Sheldon | |
| Stab Cameos | Sherrie • Trudie • Chloe • Rachel | |
| Cameo Characters | Marnie Cooper • Jenny Randall • Dr. Orth • Mr Baker | |
| Ghostface(s) | Jill Roberts • Charlie Walker | |
| Scream (2022) Characters | ||
| Principal Characters | Samantha Carpenter • Tara Carpenter • Richie Kirsch | |
| Supporting Characters | Mindy Meeks-Martin • Chad Meeks-Martin • Wes Hicks • Liv McKenzie • Amber Freeman • Ghostface • Deputy Farney • Deputy Vinson • Vince Schneider | |
| Recurring Supporting Characters | Judy Hicks • Billy Loomis (hallucination) • Dewey Riley • Gale Weathers • Sidney Prescott | |
| Ghostface(s) | Amber Freeman • Richie Kirsch | |
| Recurring Minor Characters | Martha Meeks | |
| ARG/Cameos Characters | Sarah • Ash • Guy Throwing Cup • Deputy Clay • Frances | |
| Scream 6 Characters | ||
| Confirmed Characters | Gale Weathers | |
