Ariana Grande nearly reprised ‘Scream Queens’ character in ‘American Horror Story’ Season 13
Ariana Grande's short-lived character in Scream Queens almost made it to the 13th season of American Horror Story if not for her busy schedule.
Speaking with The Hollywood Reporter, AHS creator Ryan Murphy revealed that the latest season was originally supposed to be a crossover between the two horror shows, and that Grande was set to reprise her character, Chanel #2, from Scream Queens.
However, the singer's schedule for her Eternal Sunshine Tour got in the way of her participation. The tour took place on June 6 to Sept. 1 this year, while the 13th season of AHS started production from April 6 to July 28.
“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,” Murphy 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.'”
"She warned me in advance that it was gonna be really hard to schedule, and the weekend we had to shoot it, she was touring, but I said, ‘OK, I’ll bump it down the road,’ so I haven’t given up. I love her," he continued.
The crossover ultimately did not work out, but Murphy highlighted that he’s still interested in bringing back Scream Queens, as do the show's principal cast members.
"Emma [Roberts] and I were talking about that yesterday. You know, they want me to do it. I don’t know. Emma really wants to do it. I know Billie [Lourd] wants to do it. Lea [Michele] wants to do it. Ariana wants to do it and Glen [Powell], my favorite of all time,” he said.
Scream Queens premiered in 2015 and was canceled after only two seasons. It follows sorority Kappa Kappa Tau as they are targeted by a serial killer using the university's Red Devil mascot as a disguise.
Grande's character is a member and minion of the Kappa Kappa Tau sorority, serving as second-in-command under the queen bee, Chanel Oberlin, hence the name "Chanel #2." The character didn't get much time in the spotlight, as she was killed off in the very first episode.
Meanwhile, the 13th season of AHS pulls characters from several previous installments—including Murder House, Coven, Freak Show, Hotel, and Cult—and brings them into a connected storyline.