Actor Joey Pollari to Play Satan's Son in AHS Season 13 Finale

Joey Pollari will play the son of Satan in the season 13 finale of American Horror Story, a twist revealed in the twelfth episode of the series. The finale airs at 9 p.m. Thursday on FX and streams on Hulu the following day. Pollari portrays Ben DeSoto, a character who began the season as a boyfriend with a fear of the number 13 and ends it as the offspring of the devil.

The actor received the casting news directly from creator Ryan Murphy. Murphy called Pollari to inform him he would be the lead of the next season. Pollari described the call as a moment that left him speechless. At the time, the scripts were not fully written, but Murphy outlined the character's role as the entry point for meeting returning cast members.

Pollari's path to the role began with an entry-level job. He worked as a production assistant on the red carpet for Murphy's 2025 series Doctor Odyssey. He vacuumed the blue carpet and handed out water bottles just minutes before Murphy walked the rug. Six weeks later, Pollari auditioned for Monster: The Ed Gein Story. That role led to a meeting with Murphy at the Roman ruins, where they established a professional relationship that eventually placed Pollari in the lead of American Horror Story.

The twelfth episode confirmed a major connection between characters played by Jessica Lange. Fiona Goode from Coven and Constance Langdon from Murder House are sisters separated at birth. Sister Jude from Asylum is their biological mother. The episode left the fates of Ben, Cordelia, and Queenie in uncertainty heading into the finale.

Pollari said the cast reacted with excitement to the lore explanation. He noted that the reveal points to characters being different than they appear. He declined to give specific spoilers about Ben's ending, stating that it is up to the writers and that more is yet to come. He described the finale as fun and emphasized that it is not over until it is over.

Working with veteran cast members presented a unique dynamic. Pollari admitted he had seen the show via internet clips before joining the cast. He noted that returning actors like Sarah Paulson and Emma Roberts had years of history and quick chemistry. Pollari described his character as anxious and deep, contrasting with the rapid-fire dialogue of the returning stars. He recalled a scene where Roberts' character put a knife to his crotch as part of a playful interaction.

Pollari did not know his character was Satan's son when he signed on. He learned the truth upon receiving a script that showed a 616 branded on his lower back. He found the scene where Ben tells the coven he believes they are looking for him to be a particular shock.

The actor expressed interest in returning for future seasons but left the decision to the writers. He described his experience as transformative and expressed gratitude for the opportunity. He noted that he is not superstitious in real life, despite playing a character with a debilitating fear of the number 13. He found it fun to explore the paranoia and meaning-making aspects of the role.

The season 13 finale completes the current arc of the anthology series. It features the return of the coven and the resolution of the lineage established in the previous episode. The episode serves as the conclusion to the thirteen-part season.