Jessica Lange’s American Horror Story Return Just Made Her Season 13 Comment Obsolete

Well, that escalated quickly. Earlier this year, Jessica Lange said there was no way she was doing American Horror Story again. Cut to Halloween: Ryan Murphy drops an Instagram clip and boom — her name pops up at the end like a jump scare. She’s officially back for Season 13.

The U-turn

Back in an interview with Ireland’s SPIN 1038 earlier this year — the clip made the rounds on X — Lange was asked point-blank if she’d be in AHS Season 13. Her answer was not exactly ambiguous:

"Oh, Christ, no... I haven’t done it for more than 10 years, 12 years. So, no, I’m not doing it."

Pressed on whether she’d ever come back, she doubled down with another firm no. And yet here we are.

How the reveal went down

Ryan Murphy Productions announced the Season 13 cast on Halloween with a minimalist, moody video: a dark screen, names flashing one by one, and 'I’ll Be Seeing You' playing underneath. The stinger at the end? Lange’s name. Then a cheeky on-screen message in that classic AHS font — a straight-up wink to a fan-favorite line from Coven:

"Surprise bitch. I bet you thought you’d seen the last of me."

As far as reveals go, that’s stylish and a little savage — exactly the vibe.

Why this hits for AHS fans

Lange anchored the show’s early identity, headlining the first four seasons: Murder House (2011), Asylum (2012–2013), Coven (2013–2014), and Freak Show (2015). She briefly returned in Apocalypse (2018) to reprise Constance Langdon — a quick cameo that scratched the itch but didn’t quite count as a full comeback.

In 2019, she told Entertainment Weekly she felt she’d already gotten the best of what AHS had to offer in those first four seasons and couldn’t really see the series getting back to that sweet spot. Which is why this return lands as both surprising and, honestly, kind of thrilling.

Fans are already memeing it

X lit up the second the announcement hit. Reactions ranged from calling it a Halloween miracle, to ribbing her about the sudden change of heart, to the inevitable jokes about a very persuasive paycheck. There were also plenty of celebratory posts predicting an all-timer season with Lange back in judge-y mode, Sarah Paulson screaming, Evan Peters crying, and Ariana Grande singing. Internet gonna internet.

The Season 13 lineup (so far)

• Jessica Lange
• Sarah Paulson
• Evan Peters
• Angela Bassett
• Kathy Bates
• Emma Roberts
• Ariana Grande
• Billie Lourd
• Leslie Grossman
• Gabourey Sidibe

So when do we actually see it?

American Horror Story Season 13 is expected to premiere in the U.S. on Halloween 2026 — October 31, 2026. AHS streams on Hulu.

It’s been a long time coming for Lange’s return, and the reveal was a perfect little jolt. However we got here, I’m not complaining.