American Horror Story creator Ryan Murphy gave us a real nightmare with word that Season 7 would follow the 2016 election all over again, but it seems we can sleep a little easier. The prolific FX showrunner clarifies that Season 7 will be more of an allegory, without any terrifying (well, more terrifying) Trump.

Murphy walked back his earlier Watch What Happens Live comments at the Publicists Guild Awards Luncheon in Beverly Hills (via IndieWire), stating “The themes of American Horror Story have always been allegories. You will not see [Donald] Trump and [Hillary] Clinton as characters on the show.”

Murphy joked that he’d gotten carried away with his words the first time, owing to a few too many martinis. That said, he might have a terrifying (-ly apt) role in mind for the returning Sarah Paulson:

Now as I look over at Sarah Paulson, I think of Kellyanne Conway. I don’t know! I might be rewriting!

Separately, the American Horror Story and Crime creator also told expanded upon the general theme of Season 7 to the Hollywood Reporter, and his responsibility as a storyteller in the age of Trump:

What I’m interested in doing is not just the obvious, single-minded point of view but rather express all sides of that equation. What needs to happen in our country now is for people to listen to each other – we may not always agree with each other and we may be horrified by what the other side is doing but we have to move toward understanding. So that’s one example of what I’m going to do.

And then all of the stuff that I’m developing now is going to be about illuminating and highlighting people who don’t have a voice in our culture – people who are ignored by the current administration and who are afraid and feel terrorized that their lives are going to be taken away. I’m interested not just in writing about those people but also in using my financial means to give back to them as well.

Murphy previously revealed that series staples Sarah Paulson and Evan Peters have confirmed their returns, though he’d only just started writing. Last we heard, Season 7 “does have a big hook behind it,” one that might feature the return of several characters from American Horror Story: Freak Show. Additionally, a separate upcoming season might bring together Murder House and Coven characters, to say nothing of whatever “secret season” Murphy has reportedly been writing, or the ocean theme teased after American Horror Story: Roanoke.

We’ll likely hear more as Murphy starts writing, but will American Horror Story Season 7 be a political nightmare regardless?

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