Is Jenna Ortega in You season 5? Ellie's fate revealed

24 April 2025, 22:33

Is Jenna Ortega in You season 5? Here's what happened to Ellie. Picture: Netflix

By Katie Louise Smith

Jenna Ortega was supposed to be in You season 4 but scheduling conflicts with Wednesday meant she couldn't do it – but does she come back as Ellie in season 5?

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With the final season of You now on Netflix, viewers are desperate to know what characters return to haunt Penn Badgley's Joe Goldberg in the show's epic conclusion. More specifically... does Jenna Ortega return as Ellie Alves?

You season 5 promised the return of several "loose ends" from Joe's past. Viewers theorised that the likes of Marienne, Nadia, Paco and even Dr. Nicky could reappear in the new season – and of course Ellie, who was actually supposed to return in You season 4.

Back in 2023, co-creator Sera Gamble confirmed that they tried to get Jenna back but scheduling conflicts with Wednesday meant she couldn't film.

Now You season 5 is finally here, the all-important question is back on everyone's lips... Is Jenna Ortega in You season 5? Here's your answer...

Read more: You season 5 soundtrack: Every song from Taylor Swift to Olivia Rodrigo
Read more: Does Joe Goldberg die or get caught? You season 5 ending explained

WARNING: Spoilers ahead for You season 5!

WARNING: Major You season 5 spoilers ahead! Picture: Netflix

Is Jenna Ortega in You season 5?

Sadly, Jenna does not make an appearance as Ellie in You season 5. Just as Penn Badgley teased, the final season of the show does in fact bring several characters from Joe's past including Paco, Dottie Quinn and Sherry and Cary Conrad.

Elizabeth Lail even returns as Beck in flashbacks... but unfortunately, there's no Jenna.

Speaking to TheWrap, showrunners Michael Foley and Justin W. Lo revealed they had tried to get Jenna back but had "issues" securing her return. “It would have been great to get Jenna back,” Foley said.

Jenna' absence was likely due to the fact that she is booked and busy! You season 5 was filmed from March 2024 to mid-August in New York City. Wednesday season 2 started filming in April 2024 and wrapped in November so it seems there was sadly another scheduling conflict that meant Jenna couldn't appear.

Jenna Ortegs was supposed to return in You season 4. Picture: Netflix

Jenna was originally meant to return in You season 4. Speaking to IndieWire, Sera revealed that they "wanted to bring Ellie back" but filming for Wednesday got in the way.

She teased Jenna's potential return in season 5, adding: "We have ideas for Ellie if her schedule allows her to visit us again."

Penn Badgley also later shared that he's love to see Jenna return in the final season, telling Metro: "I mean the truth is they [Netflix] would have to pay up. She's got that 'Wednesday' money now [...] That would be great obviously, that would be so amazing. I don't know that it's going to happen. We'll see."

Unfortunately, it looks like it didn't work out in the end.

You season 3 reveals Ellie's fate, as she's confirmed to still be Florida and getting money from Joe. Picture: Netflix

What happened to Ellie in You?

Ellie played a key role in You season 2 but following the murder of her sister Delilah at the hands of Love Quinn, Joe urged her to move away to Florida.

The last time we see her is in season 2, and the last time she is mentioned is in season 3. Joe mentions her a couple of times and reveals that he is sending her money, “whenever he hears from her”. He also gets a postcard from her, sent from Sarasota, Florida.

At the end of season 3, Joe is presumed to have been killed by Love so Ellie likely lost all contact with him. However, he goes public and becomes extremely famous in at the end of season 4 and throughout season 5. That said, considering he's no longer in Los Angeles, Ellie probably no longer has his contact information.

Other than that, viewers don't get any more updates about where she is or what she's doing so it's presumed that she's still in Florida, safe in the knowledge that Joe's reign of terror has come to an end.