Back in 2015, Emma Roberts didn't return for American Horror Story: Hotel despite being announced as part of the cast. Roberts had previously played key roles in Coven and Freak Show, so naturally, audiences were expecting to see her Hotel's ensemble. There were, however, several reasons why this didn't pan out as expected.
American Horror Story head writer Ryan Murphy revealed in June 2015 (via Zap2It) that Emma Roberts had agreed to stars such as Lady Gaga and Kathy Bates at the tail end of the FX franchise's 5th installment, Hotel. He commented: "She comes, and she has a great thing with Evan Peters at the end." Of course, this held the implication that Roberts was to play a character opposite Evan Peters' spectral serial killer Mr. March. Perhaps the two actors were destined for their third consecutive love story on the show following their characters' (troubled) romantic affairs in both Coven and Freak Show.
The main reason why Lady Gaga in American Horror Story season 6 (Roanoke), though this didn't end up happening either.
Of course, the question of who Emma Roberts was going to play in American Horror Story: Hotel still remains, and it wasn't until 2018 that Roberts opened up more about the subject. While discussing American Horror Story: Apocalypse, the actress revealed (via Gabourey Sidibe's Queenie, was incorporated into Hotel to fill the void left by Madison. This speculation falls in line with Murphy's comments regarding Roberts reuniting with Peters, considering Queenie heavily interacted with Mr. March in Hotel.
Though Emma Roberts didn't return for American Horror Story: Hotel, the actress has since returned for three subsequent seasons. She played vapid reporter Serena Belinda in Cult, returned as Madison Montgomery in Apocalypse, and led the cast of 1984 in the role of final girl Brooke Thompson. Whether or not Roberts will return for American Horror Story season 11 is yet to be seen. Still, she nevertheless remains a valued member of the AHS family, despite her Hotel absence.