Quick answer: Ariana Grande Was Almost in American Horror Story Season 13 as Chanel #2 — Why the Scream Queens Crossover Never Happened. Here is the clear U.S. reader guide for American Horror Story Season 13 on FX and Hulu — key spoilers, context, and FAQs below.
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American Horror Story Season 13 cast premiere
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American Horror Story Season 13 main cast list
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American Horror Story Season 13 key art
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Ryan Murphy dropped a quiet bombshell on Wednesday night in New York, just hours before American Horror Story Season 13 premiered.
Speaking to The Hollywood Reporter ahead of the red-carpet event, Murphy confirmed what many fans had only speculated: Ariana Grande was supposed to appear in Season 13. Not as a new character. As Chanel #2 from Scream Queens.
The crossover almost happened. Then the tour got in the way.
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Official Trailer
Emma Roberts on set of American Horror Story Season 13. Photo credit: @AHSZone on X
Emma Roberts on set of American Horror Story Season 13 #AHS13 #AmericanHorrorStorySeason13
— @AHSZone September 2026
Cast celebrates AHS 13 Number 1 on Hulu and Disney+. Photo credit: @JoeyPollari on X
Cast celebrates AHS 13 Number 1 on Hulu and Disney+ #AHS13 #AmericanHorrorStorySeason13
— @JoeyPollari September 2026
What Murphy Actually Said
“It was funny because at one point I was going to have the Scream Queens come on to this season, but Ariana was touring and I couldn’t make it work,” Murphy told THR. “But she was like, ‘I still want to do it! I just can’t be on tour.’ So I was like, ‘All right, let me think of it.’”
That is the cleanest confirmation yet. Grande was not just loosely attached. She was specifically lined up to reprise the role she played in 2015 opposite Emma Roberts, Billie Lourd, and Lea Michele.
Murphy went further. He said Emma Roberts, Billie Lourd, and Lea Michele still want to do the crossover. Glen Powell’s name came up as well. The idea is not dead. It is only delayed.
Why It Fell Apart
Grande was first announced for Season 13 on Halloween 2025. At the time she described the part as “a very tiny thing.” Production began in April 2026. Her Eternal Sunshine Tour launched in June. When the shooting schedule shifted, the conflict became impossible to resolve.
She never filmed a single scene. By July it was clear she was out. What Murphy revealed this week is the missing piece: the role itself was a direct bridge between Scream Queens and the American Horror Story universe.
That would have been the first time the two Murphy shows openly collided.
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Ryan Murphy reveals that Ariana Grande was set to reprise her ‘Scream Queens’ role in Season 13 of ‘American Horror Story’ but couldn’t due to tour.
— Pop Base (@PopBase)
He says Ariana, Emma Roberts, Billie Lourd and Lea Michele still want to reprise their roles down the line.
What the Crossover Would Have Meant
Season 13 is already built as a massive reunion. Jessica Lange is playing multiple characters. Sarah Paulson is stacking roles. Evan Peters is back in five. Adding the Chanels would have layered another entire mythology on top of that.
Chanel #2 dying in the first season of Scream Queens never stopped Murphy from bringing characters back. In this universe, death is rarely permanent. A return for Grande in that specific role would have given longtime fans a full-circle moment and introduced a new generation of viewers to the earlier show.
Instead, the season opens tonight without her.
The Door Is Still Open
Murphy was careful not to close it. He said he has not given up on the idea. “I love her,” he added. The same goes for the rest of the original Chanel lineup.
For now, American Horror Story Season 13 will have to stand on its own stacked cast. But the revelation itself is already changing how fans are watching the premiere. Every new face and every unexplained cameo will be scanned for traces of the crossover that almost was.
Photo credit: AHS 13 promotional imagery related to this topic — American Horror Story Season 13
Photo credit: AHS 13 promotional imagery related to this topic — American Horror Story Season 13
Why This Matters for American Horror Story Season 13 Viewers
American Horror Story Season 13 is built for U.S. audiences who want both nostalgia and a new threat. The half-hour episodes on FX — streaming the next day on Hulu — move fast, so every casting choice, every return, and every number-13 beat has to carry weight. That is why topics like this one keep trending in search: fans are not only watching, they are mapping how Murder House, Coven, Cult, Freak Show, and Apocalypse fit inside the Apollyon story.
For readers landing on this page after the September 24 premiere, the practical question is simple. What do you need to know so the next batch of episodes on October 1 does not feel confusing? The answer is context. Season 13 assumes you remember who Constance Langdon is, why Kai Anderson still unsettles people, and what a portal in a Manhattan basement implies for a franchise that already visited Hell more than once.
Search interest around AHS 13 explained, American Horror Story Season 13 spoilers, and character-specific queries is not random. The show fronts new viewers with Ben DeSoto while rewarding longtime fans with dual roles from Evan Peters and Sarah Paulson. When an article digs into one angle — a character, a building, a number, a reunion — it is doing the work the half-hour format cannot pause to do on screen.
How This Fits the Bigger Season 13 Story
Mr. Nas sits on the 13th floor of a building named after the angel of the abyss. Constance Langdon cares for him by day. Ben works nights. Deaths arrive in sets of thirteen. A Last Supper painting hangs like a roster. By Episode 3, Club Hell is not a metaphor. Those facts are the spine of Season 13. Anything that connects to them — a returning clown, a Black Dahlia appearance, a family line that should be dead — is part of the same machine.
Ryan Murphy has described the central force as something above the Antichrist. Whether that force is Nas, the portal, or both is still open. What is not open is the show’s method: stack familiar faces, compress runtime, and let symbolism do heavy lifting. U.S. viewers who want Google-friendly, clear explainers are looking for exactly this kind of breakdown — not recap spam, but interpretation that matches what aired.
As more episodes drop through late October, expect the threads in this article to tighten. Casting news, folklore titles like Rauhnacht, and crossover cameos are not side content. They are how Season 13 tells you who is being recruited and who is being fed to the number 13 pattern.
What U.S. Fans Should Watch For Next
Keep an eye on who enters the Apollyon, who Constance calls legendary, and when Nas’s black sludge lines up with off-site violence. Those patterns already defined Episodes 1 through 3. If you are following along on FX live or catching up on Hulu, use this page as a reference point before the next three episodes arrive.
Also watch how Jessica Lange, Evan Peters, and Sarah Paulson are deployed. Multiple roles in a short runtime only work if each entrance changes the power balance on the 13th floor. Season 13 is not casual comfort television. It is a compressed crossover with a body count that respects the number in the title.
For ongoing coverage, check back as new episodes air Thursdays. The franchise has always rewarded fans who track detail. Season 13 is no different — it just gives you less time between shocks to catch your breath.
Related American Horror Story Season 13 topics: Mr. Nas explained, the Apollyon building, Club Hell portal, Constance Langdon family reunion, number 13 symbolism, Twisty’s return, Black Dahlia in Rauhnacht, and Ben DeSoto’s plane-crash survival theory.
Frequently Asked Questions
Was Ariana Grande really going to be in American Horror Story Season 13?
Yes. Ryan Murphy confirmed she was set to reprise her role as Chanel #2 from Scream Queens before her tour schedule made it impossible.
What role was Ariana Grande supposed to play?
Chanel #2, the character she originated in the first season of Scream Queens in 2015.
Why did Ariana Grande drop out?
A change in the production schedule conflicted with her Eternal Sunshine Tour. She did not film any scenes.
Will there still be a Scream Queens crossover in the future?
Murphy said Emma Roberts, Billie Lourd, Lea Michele, and Ariana Grande all still want to do it. He has not abandoned the idea.
When does American Horror Story Season 13 premiere?
Thursday, September 24, 2026, at 9 p.m. ET on FX and Hulu.
Related American Horror Story Season 13 Coverage
Author: Shivam Das
