The biggest missing piece of American Horror Story Season 13 is not a character who appears and then vanishes. It is a character who never made it to set at all.
Ariana Grande was announced for the season in October 2025. By July 2026 she was gone, citing scheduling conflicts with her Eternal Sunshine Tour. On the night of the Season 13 premiere, Ryan Murphy finally explained what her role was supposed to be.
It was not a new original character. It was a full crossover with Scream Queens.
What Murphy Actually Said
Speaking with The Hollywood Reporter at the Hotel Chelsea premiere on September 23, Murphy confirmed the plan in plain terms.
“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,” he said. “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.’”
Grande was set to reprise Chanel #2, the character she played in the first season of the 2015 Fox series. That role was killed off early in Scream Queens, but death has never been a permanent obstacle in Murphy’s universe. The idea was to bring the Scream Queens characters into the same story space as the returning American Horror Story icons for the first time.
Murphy made clear the conflict was purely logistical. Grande had warned him in advance that the tour would make scheduling difficult. The weekend they needed to shoot her scenes, she was on the road. He chose to “bump it down the road” rather than force a compromise that would hurt either the tour or the show.
Why This Crossover Would Have Changed the Season
Season 13 is already built as a greatest-hits reunion. Jessica Lange is playing five characters. Sarah Paulson is carrying six or seven. Evan Peters is doing five. The entire premise rests on the idea that every previous season can occupy the same narrative without collapsing.
Adding Scream Queens would have expanded that idea beyond the American Horror Story canon itself. Emma Roberts (Chanel #1) and Billie Lourd (Chanel #3) are already in Season 13. Lea Michele and Glen Powell have also expressed interest in returning to those roles. The pieces were already in place. Grande’s presence would have completed the circuit.
Without her, the crossover was pulled. The season still functions as an internal reunion of the core anthology. It simply no longer reaches into the neighboring Murphy horror-comedy universe.
Murphy Has Not Closed the Door
Murphy was careful not to frame the loss as permanent. He told reporters he has not given up on the idea and that Grande remains interested. He also noted that Emma Roberts, Billie Lourd, Lea Michele, and Glen Powell all want to revisit Scream Queens in some form.
“Emma really wants to do it. I know Billie wants to do it. Lea wants to do it. Ariana wants to do it and Glen, my favorite of all time,” Murphy said when asked about a potential revival.
That does not guarantee a future crossover or a third season of Scream Queens. It does mean the conversation is still active among the people who would actually have to show up and do the work.
What Fans Lost in the Process
The absence is noticeable for two reasons. First, Grande’s casting was one of the few genuinely new elements announced for a season otherwise packed with returning faces. Second, a Scream Queens appearance would have given the half-hour episodes a different tonal register. The Chanel house always operated on a sharper, more satirical frequency than most of American Horror Story. Sliding that energy into the Apollyon and Club Hell would have been a genuine tonal risk.
Instead, Season 13 stays inside the established boundaries of the anthology. The ultimate evil, the 13 leading ladies, the portal under the building — all of it remains internal. The missed crossover is the one expansion that did not survive production.
FAQ
Was Ariana Grande supposed to play a new character in Season 13?
No. Ryan Murphy confirmed she was set to reprise Chanel #2 from Scream Queens as part of a planned crossover.
Why did the crossover get canceled?
Grande’s Eternal Sunshine Tour conflicted with the shooting schedule. She had warned Murphy in advance that the timing would be difficult, and the specific weekend they needed her she was on tour.
Did Grande film any scenes for Season 13?
No. She did not shoot any material for the season.
Is a future Scream Queens crossover still possible?
Murphy has said he has not given up and that Grande, Emma Roberts, Billie Lourd, Lea Michele, and Glen Powell remain interested.
Are Emma Roberts and Billie Lourd still in Season 13?
Yes. Both appear in the season in their established American Horror Story roles. The Scream Queens connection was simply never activated.
The season that arrived on September 24 is still the largest reunion Murphy has ever attempted. It is simply missing the one connection that would have stretched the universe past its own borders. Whether that connection returns later is now a question of schedules, not desire.
