Ryan Murphy explains why Taissa Farmiga will not be in American Horror Story 13
4 October 2026, 19:52 | Updated: 4 October 2026, 19:55
Taissa's Violet Harmon and Zoe Benson are central to the Murder House and Coven storylines but she will not be in AHS season 13.
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American Horror Story season 13 brings a whole bunch of iconic characters back to our screens but there's a few glaring absences, including original cast member Taissa Farmiga.
Taissa's characters Zoe Benson and Violet Harmon are two of the most beloved across the franchise. So with 13 focusing heavily on Coven as well as characters from Murder House (including Constance, Tate and Adelaide), many fans were baffled by that Taissa wasn't announced as part of the anniversary season.
Now, Ryan Murphy has addressed her absence and sadly, it sounds like she won't be in the new season at all.
Why is Taissa Farmiga not in American Horror Story season 13?
Speaking to PEOPLE about why Taissa isn't in season 13, Ryan said: “I’ll always love [Taissa], 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 once you’re on the show, you’re always on the show. We’re working on the next season and trying to figure that out. So it’s interesting how it keeps going on and on.”
Writer-producer Ned Martel also addressed the absence of fan faves such as Lily Rabe and Denis O'Hare, adding: “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?”
For her part, Taissa has not spoken about not returning in season 13. However, she did previously speak about a potential return in the future.
In a clip shared on social media by @vincentperrellajr, Taissa said: "It’s been a long time. I think I’ve always been someone who, like, I never say never? I don’t see it in the books, but I’m always down for an experience. It would be mind-blowing to jump back into that world, but then you feel alive!"
The last time we saw Taissa in American Horror Story was her brief appearance as Sophie Green in Roanoke. Here's hoping we'll see her again at some point!
Read more about American Horror Story here:
- Ariana Grande drops out of American Horror Story season 13
- Jessica Lange says she will never return to American Horror Story
- Evan Peters wants to do a rom-com and play a "normal person"
