Orlando Jones Steps Into Lance Reddick’s Shoes as Papa Legba in ‘American Horror Story: 13’
Few characters in the franchise carry the quiet menace of Papa Legba. He was introduced in ‘American Horror Story: Coven’ as a Loa from the New Orleans and Haitian Vodou traditions, an intermediary between gods and humans and the gatekeeper to the spirit world. The show pitched him as its version of a voodoo Satan, tied closely to Marie Laveau.
The man who made the role iconic was Lance Reddick. He played Papa Legba in three memorable episodes of ‘American Horror Story: Coven’ and later reprised the part in ‘American Horror Story: Apocalypse‘. His deep voice and precise stillness made the soul-dealing gatekeeper one of the franchise’s most chilling figures, and he died on March 17 at the age of 60.
That history is why the latest casting news lands with such weight. Orlando Jones now plays Papa Legba in ‘American Horror Story: 13’, replacing Reddick, who portrayed the gatekeeper in ‘Coven’ and ‘Apocalypse’. Jones’s casting was first reported with the role still unconfirmed, and the character’s identity was only rumored at the time.
Jones arrives with a résumé that suits the part. He is known for ‘Evolution’, ‘Drumline’, ‘Sleepy Hollow’, ‘Abbott Elementary’ and ‘American Gods’. On ‘American Gods’ he played the trickster god Anansi, another ancient, witty and dangerous deity rooted in African diaspora mythology.
The overlap with Papa Legba is hard to miss. The character trades immortality and power for annual tributes of souls, which makes him a natural thread tying the timelines together. As Marie Laveau’s powerful spiritual ally, he oversees the passage between the living and the dead and is known for making deals that carry a steep price.
He is also stepping into a crowded room. Series creator Ryan Murphy assembled what amounts to his own Avengers for the season, bringing back characters from throughout the franchise’s universe, with returning names including Jessica Lange, Evan Peters, Sarah Paulson and Angela Bassett. Some actors are reprising multiple roles from earlier seasons, and the story pulls characters from several eras into a single narrative.
The newcomers list is just as eye-catching. It includes Paul Anthony Kelly, Alex Consani, Cara Delevingne, John Waters, Avantika, Joey Pollari and Madelaine Petsch, alongside Jones. Slotting a new face into a role this beloved is a delicate move, but pairing it with a cast this stacked suggests the production wants Papa Legba to feel like part of a bigger tapestry.
The rollout is already well underway. The season has 13 half-hour episodes, with the first two weeks each offering three episodes, followed by two episodes every Thursday leading to a finale on October 29. It premiered on FX on September 24, a day after a launch event at the Hotel Chelsea in New York City, and it is also streaming on Hulu.
Behind the scenes, the production moved quickly. Filming began on April 6 and wrapped on July 27, with the season’s subtitle announced the day after cameras stopped rolling. That tight turnaround makes the polished, crossover-heavy final product all the more notable.
For longtime fans, the real question is how Jones will shape the gatekeeper without simply echoing what came before. Reddick set an incredibly high bar, and any successor has to honor that presence while bringing something distinct. With his own history playing mythic tricksters, Jones looks like a thoughtful choice to keep Papa Legba’s crossroads open.
