Jessica Lange, Ariana Grande, and Evan Peters lead the star-studded cast for American Horror Story season 13

The latest chapter of the horror anthology franchise American Horror Story is already creating a buzz. On Halloween night, production company Ryan Murphy Productions revealed the cast for Season 13, and in a move fans had long assumed was off the table, veteran actress Jessica Lange is back.

“Surprise b****h. I bet you thought you’d seen the last of me,” text in the classic AHS font read, adding that the release date will be Halloween 2026.

Ariana Grande is another standout addition to the cast, marking a return to working with series creators Ryan Murphy and Brad Falchuk a decade after her role in Scream Queens, where she starred alongside Emma Roberts and Billie Lourd, both of whom are also set to appear in the upcoming season of American Horror Story.
“ARIANA WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE?!?!??” one read. Paulson even commented, “ARIANA GRANDE HELLO?!”

The season will also see the return of fan favorites Sarah Paulson, Evan Peters, Angela Bassett, Kathy Bates, and Gabourey Sidibe to the American Horror Story universe.

Evan Peters’ return also thrilled fans, with one social media user exclaiming, “THANK YOU FOR BRINGING EVAN BACK.”Jessica Lange’s comeback sparked even more excitement online. One fan wrote, “BUTTON FOR EVERYONE WHO SCREAMED WHEN JESSICA LANGE’S NAME CAME UP!!! >>>>>>,” while another admitted, “JESSICA LANGE’S NAME BROUGHT TEARS TO MY EYES AM I DREAMING HELP.” Yet another commented, “The way my mouth DROPPED at the return of queen Jessica Lange .”At 72, Lange was a central figure in the first four seasons of American Horror Story, appearing in Murder House (2011), Asylum (2012-2013), Coven (2013-2014), and Freak Show (2014-2015). In a 2019 interview with Entertainment Weekly, she stated that she had no intentions of returning for any future seasons.

“I feel like I got the best of it in those first four seasons,” she explained. “Great characters. It was exciting to do. I worked with some of my favorite actors but I can’t see that we could ever get back to that.”

Lange’s most recent appearance on the series came in 2018, when she made a one-episode cameo in AHS: Apocalypse, reprising her role as Constance Langdon from Murder House.

“Just that tiny little reprise, that part, that was enough,” she told EW at the time.