Spoilers ahead for the most recent episode of American Horror Story: 13.
Ryan Murphy is a titan of television, having become a household name thanks to his wildly popular anthology series American Horror Story (which is streaming with a Hulu subscription). We're currently deep into the 13th season, which is a massive crossover event featuring tons of returning characters from the show's decade and change on the air. Oscar-winner Kathy Bates was announced in the show's cast, and she finally showed up in Episode 8 "Hell No." I was psyched to finally see her return as Delphine Lalaurie, but I am turly baffled by how she was used.
The trailer for AHS: 13 teased just how many returning characters we'd see. That includes Kathy Bates, whose name has been in the title sequence but has only had one brief cameo so far. Seeing Delphine and Gabourey Sidibe's Queenie reunite was exciting, but their scene left something to be desired.
We Waited Eight Episodes For That Cameo?
Like so many American Horror Story fans, Coven is my favorite season of all time. It's got a mix of camp and horror, and the cast is truly iconic. That includes Kathy Bates' terrifying Delphine, who is humbled throughout the season and eventually sees the error of her racist ways. This happens largely thank to her relationship with Queenie, so it was fitting that they got to share a scene when Bates returned to the role.
Unfortunately, I found the scene itself to be a bit of a let down. Rather than being in reality, it happens when Queenie volunteers to return to Hell so Jessica Lange's Fiona Goode can stay and help fight The Devil. Sidibe's witch is once again trapped eternally working at Chubbie's Fried Chicken, where Delphine shows up as a disgruntled customer. After an argument Queenie uses her voodoo doll powers to fry Delphine's face, and then forces her to eat a bit of her fried skin.
At the time of writing this story, that's all we've seen of Kathy Bates in AHS: 13. It's a brief scene that utterly doesn't move the plot forward, although Coven fans got a jolt of dopamine in seeing this reunion. After seeing the Misery actress' name on the new season's credits, I was expected Delphine to have a meaty role. So this glorified cameo just isn't doing it for me.
Luckily, there are still five more episodes left in this season of American Horror Story. Perhaps Bates will get more screen time and a more significant return as Madame Lalaurie. I'm going to keep my fingers crossed, because if that's all we get of Kathy Bates I'm going to be rioting in these streets.
New episodes of American Horror Story air Thursdays on FX as part of the 2026 TV schedule. We'll just have to wait and see if Murphy and company stick the landing; I wasn't thrilled with the finale of The Beauty or The Shards.
