The iconic stars we won’t see in American Horror Story 13, and the ‘absurd’ reason for the snub

American Horror Story is back for its thirteenth and final season, but you won’t spot iconic stars like Denis O’Hare, Lily Rabe, and Taissa Farmiga in its roster. 

For the final season, Ryan Murphy has reanimated some of the previous stars. Jessica Lange, Evan Peters, Sarah Paulson, and Angela Bassett are back, alongside new additions such as Joey Pollari, Paul Anthony Kelly, and Alex Consani. 

But with legends playing five characters each and new people no one ever asked for included, some of the greatest AHS actors of all time have been snubbed. 

Lily Rabe made American Horror Story what it is

Credit: FX

Across the 13 seasons, Lily Rabe played Nora Montgomery in Murder House, Sister Mary Eunice in Asylum, Misty Day in Coven, Aileen Wuornos in Hotel, Shelby Miller in Roanoke, Lavinia Richter in 1984, and two roles in Double Feature. 

She’s made a pretty big impact on her AHS world, and Asylum is widely considered the best season in part because of her talents. 

Denis O’Hare is another American Horror Story icon 

Credit: FX

Much like Lily Rabe, Denis O’Hare has made a lasting impression on the American Horror Story universe. He appeared in Murder House as Larry Harvey, Coven as Spalding, Freak Show as Stanley, Hotel as Liz Taylor, Roanoke as William van Henderson, Double Feature as Holden Vaughn, and NYC as Henry Grant. He even took part in an American Horror Stories episode. 

Again, Denis O’Hare was not invited back for season 13. The fact that we don’t get a Liz Taylor cameo is CRIMINAL. 

Taissa Farmiga is nowhere to be seen 

Credit: FX

Back in season one, Taissa Farmiga embodied sad girl Tumblr energy as she portrayed Violet Harmon alongside Evan Peters. It cemented both of them in the pop culture hall of fame, and to this day, edits of the two go viral on TikTok. Taissa later portrayed Zoe Benson in Coven, Sophie Green in Roanoke, and she reprised both Zoe and Violet for season eight’s Apocalypse. 

Finn Wittrock is Ryan Murphy’s ‘type’, but still not in season 13

Credit: FX

Most Read

Monster’s lead star explains why Aileen Wuornos was clumsily shoved into Lizzie Borden show

40 years later, one of the Unsolved Mysteries cold cases has just been solved

Gone but not forgotten: Honouring the 13 Glee cast members who have passed away

Finn Wittrock joined the American Horror Story cast a little later, first appearing as a main character in Freak Show, where he played Dandy Mott. He later appeared in Hotel as Tristan Duffy, in Roanoke as Jether Polk, Bobby Richter II in 1984, and Harry Gardner in Double Feature. 

With dark hair, dark eyes, and a sculpted jawline, Finn Wittrock is widely considered the pinnacle of what the internet refers to as Ryan Murphy’s “type”. Still, he didn’t get a call to come back. 

Right, so why aren’t they in it? 

but there was enough time for the tired ass rubber man suit to be brought back (again…), Coco, the Black Dahlia, and a Scream Queens cameo? finally getting back to 13 episodes and most are 20-30 minutes instead of the the normal 40-50 minutes? right https://t.co/tdf0x4BC7P

— Poison💫🦇 (@FinalBoyPoison) September 24, 2026

People are understandably miffed about the snubs, and co-showrunner Ned Martel’s explanation has only fanned the flames of anger. 

“I’m sure that there are a lot of people that we could have brought back that fans love, that we love. The love was there, plenty of love, plenty of interest, but there’s never enough time, is there?” he said. 

On Taissa Farmiga specifically, Ryan Murphy told People: “I’ll always love her, but sometimes it’s just the story and the progression of the story, if that makes any sense. There’s a lot of characters or a lot of things that I tried. Actor availability is always an issue. Sometimes the character just doesn’t work in the story, you know?”

But those explanations simply don’t hold up in court when you’ve got shorter episodes, actors playing five characters, and new characters nobody wanted or asked for. 

One person pointed out: “Sarah is playing 5 characters, Evan Peters 3, and Billie Lourd 2. They were reportedly planning a Scream Queens crossover with AHS 13 before Ariana Grande dropped out. The 3 actors below are also legacy stars who add to the iconography of the show. Even a 3-minute cameo would have been a respectful nod to their legacy.”

“Yes, there’s definitely time for heavy hitters that are loved by fans and incredibly important characters instead of the f**king black dahlia,” someone else said. 

Grab your torches and pitchforks, we ride at dawn!

For more, like The Tab on Facebook.

Featured image credit: FX