Sarah Paulson Sits Out From ‘American Horror Story’ Season 9

Another American Horror Story mainstay is set to hit the bench in the horror anthology show’s ninth season, titled AHS: 1984. Sarah Paulson, who played numerous characters throughout the FX series’ eight-season run so far, will not be starring in any lead role once the show returns this fall.

According to Variety, Paulson’s break from the American Horror Story universe doesn’t completely erase her from the show’s world. Given her tedious schedule, it’s still possible for Paulson to appear in a cameo, much like how she did in the first season of AHS (Murder House). This marks the first time that both Paulson and Evan Peters, who were usually the main stars of every season, will not appear together as the lead characters. In an interview last April, Peters cited the emotional toll it took on him as the reason why he wanted to sit season 9 out. “It’s just exhausting. It’s really mentally draining, and you don’t want to go to those places ever in your life,” Peters said. Paulson, however, is probably in dire straits with regards to her filming schedule. The actress is currently in production for the upcoming FX series Mrs. America, a show about the Equal Rights Amendment. Variety also reports that Paulson will continue working with American Horror Story creator Ryan Murphy for Netflix’s Ratched, which is a spinoff of the 1975 film One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest. Apart from these TV projects, Paulson has a full movie slate this year. She’s set to star in Lionsgate’s Run and in Warner Bros.’ The Goldfinch.

Paulson’s different character portrayals in American Horror Story earned the show five Emmy nominations. Subsequently, Paulson also starred in the first season of Murphy’s American Crime Story, where she won a Best Actress Emmy for her portrayal of prosecutor Marcia Clark in American Crime Story: The People v. O.J. Simpson.

AHS: 1984 is also said to be reminiscent of the ’80s slasher movie trope, with all the events taking place in the summer. Aside from that little detail, not much is known about the upcoming AHS season’s plot and casting; but Murphy did reveal that Emma Roberts is set to return to the upcoming season.

American Horror Story: 1984 premieres September 18th at 10/9c on FX.