a two-episode part she talked her way into more of, and the first evidence that the comedy was not a nickelodeon accident.
the short answer
she played sonya herfmann, known as chanel #2, in the first season of ryan murphy's horror comedy scream queens, which premiered on fox in september 2015. the part was written as a single appearance and was extended because she wanted to come back. the character is killed early and returns later in the season.
how the casting happened
murphy has said he became interested in casting her because she was a vocal fan of american horror story, met her, described scream queens, and found her immediately keen. it is a straightforwardly unglamorous origin for a role that got a great deal of attention, and it is also the start of a working relationship that ran for a decade — she was announced for american horror story season 13 in 2025 before the tour schedule made it impossible.
the part
chanel #2 is one of the sorority sidekicks whose actual name — sonya — the lead cannot be bothered to remember, hence the number. she is killed in the premiere. she then continues to appear, which is a device the show used liberally and which is why a one-episode booking turned into a recurring credit.
why it matters
because of the register. victorious was broad children's comedy performed in front of a studio audience — a specific and quite narrow discipline. scream queens is single-camera, adult, dry and extremely fast, and she is good in it. that is the first evidence on the record that the comic timing was hers rather than a house style she had been trained into.
everything that followed depends on that being true. the snl hosting five months later, the wicked audition eight years later, and focker in-law are all the same skill at increasing scale.
where it sits in the year
september 2015 is between the honeymoon tour and the dangerous woman sessions, in the same stretch where a third album called moonlight was announced and then abandoned. it is the least-documented period of her career and this show is one of the few fixed points in it.
questions people ask
who did ariana grande play in scream queens?
sonya herfmann, called chanel #2, one of the kappa sorority sidekicks in the first season.
how many episodes of scream queens is ariana grande in?
the role was written as a single appearance and extended at her request. the character is killed in the premiere and reappears later in the season.
how did ariana grande get cast in scream queens?
ryan murphy approached her after learning she was a fan of american horror story, and she agreed after he described the show.
when did scream queens air?
the first season premiered on fox on 22 september 2015.
did ariana grande work with ryan murphy again?
she was announced for american horror story season 13 in late 2025 but exited in july 2026 over a scheduling conflict, without filming any scenes.