Ryan Murphy is reacting to Ariana Grande having dropped out of "American Horror Story" season 13 after previously being announced. The Ryan Murphy Breaks His Silence on Ariana Grande’s Abrupt ‘AHS’ Exit first appeared on The Blast

Ryan Murphy‘s newest FX series, “The Shards,” recently premiered, serving as an adaptation of Bret Easton Ellis‘ 2023 novel of the same name. While promoting the show, the TV producer opened up about Ariana Grande and her decision to drop out of the upcoming 13th season of “American Horror Story.”

Notably, Grande’s exit from the long-running horror series came weeks before she not only dropped out of the West End revival of “Sunday in the Park with George,” but also announced plans to take a break from the public eye.

Ryan Murphy Says Ariana Grande Was Unsure About ‘American Horror Story’ From The Start

Murphy interviewed with The Hollywood Reporter in August 2026. During the conversation, not only did he dish on “The Shards,” but the “American Horror Story” creator also responded to a question about Grande having dropped out of the highly anticipated series.

Murphy began by expressing his love for Grande and saying, “We’re great friends.” He continued, “I had an idea, and I came to her and she, very immediately, said, ‘I’m not sure because I think I’m going on tour.’ I don’t think the tour had been announced, and she had obviously just finished the ‘Wicked’ movie.”

He then discussed when she actually dropped out of the show, stating, “So when it came time to do that episode, I called her up, and she was like, ‘I don’t know how I’m going to juggle the tour with this.’ And I said, ‘OK, if you can’t, we can push to another season.’ She said, ‘Great.'”

Ryan Was Understanding Of Ariana Grande’s Busy Schedule

Murphy wanted to remain “respectful” of Grande and not go into detail about her exit from the series amid the public scrutiny she’s received. According to him, “Who is busier than Ariana Grande? No one. She had told me at the time, ‘I have this album that’s dropping.’ It was really, truly a scheduling conflict.”

From there, he expressed an interest in working with the “Wicked” star again in the future. He stated, “Ariana is a big fan of horror. She’s obviously done homages [to] that in her work; she did Scream Queens for me and loved the experience, and people love her in that show. So I will always work with her.”

Murphy added, “I love her, and I support her. It was a very big swing, but I might bring that back for another season, per Ariana’s availability. I think the world of her.”

Ariana’s ‘AHS’ Exit Was Announced In July

Grande was confirmed to be a part of the cast for “American Horror Story” season 13 in October 2025. Production on the season then began in April. However, in July, Variety reported that the songstress had exited the series due to a scheduling conflict with her “Eternal Sunshine Tour.”

Weeks later, a representative for the singer told PEOPLE that she was planning to take a break from the public eye. They said, “Ariana will be taking a step back from visibility after she completes the Eternal Sunshine Tour.”

The statement continued, “She looks forward to finishing the tour and ending it on a high note, both healthily and happily, and then taking a much-deserved break from public-facing work and appearances, which has led to endless, ongoing public scrutiny. This tour has been a beautiful experience for her. She loves her fans and has loved every minute of this tour so much.”

Ryan Called ‘AHS’ Season 13 A Tribute To The Series

Season 13 of “American Horror Story” premieres on FX on September 24. Murphy discussed the season in his profile with the Hollywood Reporter, stating that a number of the actors will play several of their past roles from the series.

According to him, “This season is a tribute to all of the seasons, which we’ll never do again. But it was fun. It was like getting the band back together, and once they got on the set with me, it was like we never stopped making this. Most of them had accents, and they instantly fell back into their characters. It was fascinating and thrilling.”

The cast includes Jessica Lange, Sarah Paulson, Evan Peters, Angela Bassett, Kathy Bates, and more.

Season 13 Isn’t The End Of ‘American Horror Story’

Given that season 13 of “American Horror Story” has been referred to as an all-star season, many have assumed that the show may be coming to an end. However, Murphy also confirmed in his Hollywood Reporter interview that this is not the case. In fact, he’s already working on the next season.

He shared, “I have a great passion for that show, and [FX boss] John Landgraf has a great passion for that show. It’s a very important show in my career. It’s something that John said, ‘As long as you want to keep making them, I’ll keep airing them.’ That’s always been the idea behind it, which is very empowering.”

Murphy added, “Season 13 is not the end; I’m working on season 14 as we speak in terms of, ‘What’s the idea?’ and ‘Who wants to be in it?'”

The Ryan Murphy Breaks His Silence on Ariana Grande’s Abrupt ‘AHS’ Exit first appeared on The Blast