American Horror Story creator Ryan Murphy made a rare comment about Ariana Grande‘s decision to exit the show ahead of her planned appearance in season 13.
“I love Ariana Grande. We’re great friends. I had an idea and I came to her and she, very immediately, said, ‘I’m not sure because I think I’m going on tour,’” Murphy, 60, recalled to The Hollywood Reporter in a profile published on Thursday, August 6. “I don’t think the tour had been announced, and she had obviously just finished the Wicked movie.”
Murphy was determined to work with Grande, 33, despite her busy schedule.
“So when it came time to do that episode, I called her up and she was like, ‘I don’t know how I’m going to juggle the tour with this,’” he shared. “And I said, ‘OK, if you can’t, we can push to another season.’ She said, ‘Great.’”
Though he was interested in collaborating with Grande, Murphy also wanted “to be respectful,” adding, “Who is busier than Ariana Grande? No one. She had told me at the time, ‘I have this album that’s dropping.’ It was really, truly a scheduling conflict.”
He continued: “Ariana is a big fan of horror. She’s obviously done homages [to] that in her work; she did Scream Queens for me and loved the experience, and people love her in that show. So I will always work with her.”
Murphy didn’t rule out another opportunity to feature Grande in his work in the future.
“I love her, and I support her,” he added about Grande. “It was a very big swing, but I might bring that back for another season, per Ariana’s availability. I think the world of her.”
News broke last month that the singer would not appear on the upcoming 13th season of AHS. Grande’s schedule has been packed after the release of Wicked and Wicked: For Good. She also has Focker-in-Law coming out in November following the end of her Eternal Sunshine Tour.
Murphy’s comments come shortly after a rep for Grande announced she would be stepping back from the public eye.
“She looks forward to finishing the tour and ending it on a high note, both healthily and happily, and then taking a much-deserved break from public-facing work and appearances, which has led to endless, ongoing public scrutiny,” read a statement shared on Sunday, August 2. “This tour has been a beautiful experience for her. She loves her fans and has loved every minute of this tour so much.”
In recent months, many social media users have expressed concern over Grande’s physical appearance, a conversation which was reignited following the release of her “Petal” music video.
Grande, for her part, spoke out taking a break from the spotlight while performing in Chicago on Monday, August 3.
“Sometimes when a story comes out that’s not directly from me, things can get a little blown out of proportion, so I just wanted to speak to my fans directly tonight, because I love you so much,” she said on stage. “The announcement that was made yesterday was not a reactive or impulsive thing. It is something that I had decided, a plan I had quietly made a long time ago, and it’s a decision that was made from a thoughtful and empowered place.”
Grande continued, “I want you to know that many things can be true at the same time. Boundaries can need to be set, human beings can need a break sometimes, and also, this can be and will continue to be the greatest experience of my professional career. No matter what noises exist out there, nothing will be able to distort my reality or be more real to me or not as real to me than this love that we share and how it feels to make art with people that I love and respect. Absolutely nothing will change that.”
