‘American Horror Story’ Cast Member Teases “Secret Friend” Returning for Season 8

The upcoming season of American Horror Story is possibly putting together the most impressive cast the series has seen yet, as the crossover between the “Murder House” and “Coven” storylines brings back many familiar faces. A more recent addition to the ensemble, Billy Eichner, teased on Instagram that the upcoming season will feature a “secret friend.”

Eichner shared a photo of himself with members of the announced cast, but teased, “With (some of) this season’s @ahsfx cast at dinner a few weeks ago…and a secret friend…it’s gonna be a wild one! Can’t wait….”

The prevailing theory on the identity of this “secret friend” is that it is Jessica Lange returning to the series for the first time since the “Freak Show” season. While she might have been absent from recent seasons, she starred in creator Ryan Murphy‘s Feud: Bette and Joan, furthering their collaborative efforts with another series.

Rumors surrounding the crossover event of arguably the series’ most popular seasons have been brewing for years, with Murphy having previously confirmed how much he’d want Lange to return for the crossover.

“I think she would if I bribed her enough, you know?” Murphy shared at an event in April 2017 about Lange’s return. “I haven’t really talked to her about it at all because we are still figuring out that story, but I think we do want to do that.”

One detail that could complicate matters with Lange, and many of the other cast members, is that the series takes an anthology format, allowing performers to return to play new characters each season. By crossing over the events of Seasons One and Three, many of the cast will have to portray multiple characters in the story.

“Murder House” depicted a family moving into a haunted mansion in Los Angeles, California which resulted in a series of horrifying and supernatural events unfolding. “Coven” focused on a girl moving to a boarding school so she could be around other individuals who had powerful control over witchcraft.

In addition to Eichner, the season will star Sarah Paulson, Evan Peters, Kathy Bates, Billie Lourd, and Joan Collins. Also returning to the ensemble are Denis O’Hare, Adina Porter, and Dylan McDermott, who has been absent from the series since the second season.

Season Eight of American Horror Story debuts on FX on September 12th.

[H/T Instagram, billyeichner]