‘American Horror Story’ Mainstay Evan Peters to Take a Break in Season 9

After playing multiple characters in the universe of Ryan Murphy’s American Horror Story, Evan Peters will sit out the narrative of the horror anthology’s ninth season.

Peters has been through drastic character changes in the past years that American Horror Story has been airing. His first ever role was that of Tate in “Murder House,” and went on to join a ragtag group of circus performers in “Freak Show,” a wrongfully-diagnosed mental patient in “Asylum,” and many more. His most recent character was in “Apocalypse,” where he played hairdresser, Mr. Gallant. It’s no denying that Peters is an impressive, versatile actor, but it does come with a few drawbacks.

In an interview with Entertainment Weekly at WonderCon, Peters was asked about his next role in American Horror Story Season 9. That’s when he dropped the news, “no, I’m going to sit a season out.” While it does come as a shock to avid AHS fans, it’s understandable how Peters would want to skip the upcoming season. In a previous sit-down with GQ, Peters shared how the characters he played in the show somehow felt like it was “hurting [his] soul and Evan as a person.”

“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. “And so you have to go there for the scenes, and it ends up integrating it somehow into your life. You’re in traffic and you find yourself screaming and you’re like, What the hell? This isn’t who I am.”

Peters also hinted at a possible break during a follow-up to his GQ interview, saying that he needs to “decompress, get back in touch with what he feels like he wants to do.”

As of now, details about the next season’s theme and cast members are extremely scarce. In any case, fans shouldn’t be worried about the fate of the show, as American Horror Story is definitely set to make its return this fall.