Kathy Bates Won’t Appear in Upcoming Season of ‘American Horror Story’

One element of American Horror Story that keeps bringing audiences back every season is its tendency to feature the same actors each season to deliver impressive performances. Sadly, fans of the series won’t be seeing Kathy Bates in the upcoming season, with The Hollywood Reporter claiming scheduling issues kept her from being involved in even a reduced capacity.

This news comes as a disappointment to many of the series’ devout fans, with Bates having starred in Seasons 3-6, which earned her both an Emmy Award win and Golden Globe Award nomination.

We also learned that Emma Roberts, who starred in the series’ third and fourth seasons, would be returning for Season 7. The actress departed the series to star in another series from creator Ryan Murphy, Scream Queens, but with that series ending after two seasons, the actress was able to return to American Horror Story.

Another face that fans shouldn’t expect to see is Lady Gaga, who won a Golden Globe Award for her performance in Season 5 and also appeared in Season 6.

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Despite the confirmation of who won’t be returning, American Horror Story vets Sarah Paulson and Evan Peters will return, as well as series newcomers Billie Lourd (who also worked with Murphy on Scream Queens) and Billy Eichner, from Billy on the Street. Another new addition to the series is Lena Dunham, known for her work on the HBO comedy, Girls.

Other actors that are confirmed to be returning are Adina Porter (Roanoke), Cheyenne Jackson (Hotel, Roanoke), Marie Winningham (Coven, Freak Show, and Hotel), and Frances Conroy (Murder House, Asylum, Coven, Freak Show, Roanoke).

More: Watch: ‘American Horror Story: Cult’ Trailer Will Never Let You Look at Bubble Baths the Same

Details of the upcoming season, American Horror Story: Cult, are still pretty sparse, other than Murphy teasing that it will have a more political theme, with the events of the season kicking off on the evening of the 2016 presidential election. Last week, Murphy took to Instagram to describe how there is a sinister underlying theme within the anthology series that is darker than anybody imagined. Learn more here.

Additionally, Murphy teased on his Instagram that Paulson and Peters’ characters will be involved in a “love story for the ages.” Interestingly, Peters and co-star Roberts have had an on-again-off-again relationship in real-life, which blossomed while working together on the show’s third season.

American Horror Story: Cult airs on September 5 at 10 p.m. ET on FX.

Photo Credit: FX