‘American Horror Story’ Season 9 Adds Gus Kenworthy and Emma Roberts to Cast

American Horror Story Season 9 is adding Olympic skier Gus Kenworthy to its cast. Series creator Ryan Murphy made the announcement of Kenworthy’s casting on Instagram, with the added reveal that series regular Emma Roberts will once again be returning — this time as the girlfriend of Kenworthy’s character.

You can check out Murphy’s announcement on Instagram below:

Roberts was last seen in Season 8’s big crossover storyline, Apocalypse. That arc saw Roberts reprise her role as snarky mean girl witch Madison Montgomery, who was resurrected after being trapped in hell during the Season 3 Coven storyline. She also appeared in Season 4 (Freakshow), and Season 7 (Cult). While Ryan Murphy has teased the Coven characters returning at some point, right now there’s no guarantee that it will happen in Season 9. This is Kenworthy’s first time on AHS, following some acting work in ABC’s The Real O’Neals and a Sharknado 5 appearance.

Details on what Season 9 of American Horror Story will be are being kept under tight wraps, as usual. Murphy previously hinted that Apocalypse actors Cody Fern, Finn Wittrock, and Darren Criss could all be returning for Season 9, as well, but there’s been no solid confirmation.

Some fans of the show are holding out hope that the somewhat abrupt ending to Apocalypse‘s epic crossover would lead to a Season 9 sequel storyline. That doesn’t seem to be the case at the moment, though you never know where Ryan Murphy is concerned. Season 7 and 8 drew off the Donald Trump presidency and all the social anger/anxiety surrounding it for the Cult and Apocalypse storylines; given where the socio-political spectrum has moved since that time, it’s safe to say that Murphy still have plenty of material to serve as inspiration for a new Americana nightmare.

Ironically, following the big shifts of the midterm elections, now might be the most appropriate time for the Coven characters to be the focus of the new season. Could Murphy be holding that surprise in store?

American Horror Story Season 9 is expected to premiere in its usual fall slot.