Ariana Grande exits American Horror Story season 13

Ariana Grande has pulled out of American Horror Story Season 13, with her ongoing Eternal Sunshine World Tour cited as the reason for the scheduling conflict that forced her to step away from the highly anticipated project.
Variety reported the news on Saturday, July 11, confirming that Grande’s tour commitments made it impossible for her to take part in the upcoming season of the long-running FX anthology series. The singer kicked off the Eternal Sunshine Tour on June 6, 2026, at Oakland Arena, and has a packed international schedule that runs through the rest of the year. With Season 13 having begun filming in April 2026, the overlap between the two commitments proved impossible to resolve.
The news comes as something of a disappointment for fans who had been anticipating her appearance after it was first confirmed on Halloween 2025. At the time, Grande had expressed genuine excitement about the opportunity, despite acknowledging she would have a limited role. “I know a little tiny bit. What I know I cannot say. I am coming into the world in a way that I don’t know much about yet,” she said. She added that she expected it to be a very small part but said she would be grateful to be involved given how much she admired the people in it.
The 13th season of American Horror Story is slated to premiere on FX on September 24, 2026. The returning cast is formidable, with Sarah Paulson, Evan Peters, Angela Bassett, Kathy Bates, Emma Roberts, Billie Lourd and Jessica Lange all set to feature, making it one of the most star-studded instalments in the franchise’s history.
The departure from American Horror Story is not the only development in Grande’s professional life right now. She is also preparing for the release of her eighth studio album, Petal, scheduled for July 31, 2026. The album has already generated considerable anticipation, and its arrival coincides with what has been an eventful period in her personal life as well.
Grande recently confirmed the end of her relationship with her Wicked co-star Ethan Slater, with sources describing the split as mutual. She was subsequently spotted spending time with her former boyfriend Ricky Alvarez, prompting fresh speculation about whether the two were rekindling their earlier romance.
For fans hoping to see Grande cross into scripted television horror, the door has closed for now, though her busy tour and album schedule suggests that her creative focus in the months ahead will remain firmly on music.