Why was Evan Peters axed from Pose? Everything to know about the actor's unanticipated exit from the show

Evan Peters and his character Stan Bowes had a strong plotline in season 1 of Pose, but fans were disappointed to hear that he would not be returning to the show. The news, which was dropped in 2019, came as a surprise to most, considering the popularity of both the character and the actor in the fandom, but Steven Canals stated that the decision was based on the fact that the series had begun to veer off in a direction originally unanticipated.

Evan Peters had played a Wall Street character in the first season and expertly portrayed a disillusioned family man who had begun a clandestine romance with the character of Angel Evangelista. The series ran from 2018 to 2021, with season 2 airing in 2019.

---

Steven Canals explained why Evan Peters exit from Pose was sudden

After Stan Bowes' sudden disappearance from Pose, fans clamored for a reason to know why. That made sense, considering Stan's story had ended on a cliffhanger. The secret love affair that he had been pursuing crashed and burned inevitably after Angel rejected him.

As such, fans were eager to see Evan Peters' character dealing with the repercussions of the aforementioned situation in Pose season 2. However, in the eyes of creator Steven Canals, Stan Bowes being removed from the show made sense in light of the fact that the show had found a new footing. In other words, the Wall Street storyline, of which Stan was a proponent, was dropped.

Speaking to Digital Spy in an exclusive interview, Canals went on to confirm Stan Bowes' departure from the show:

"What we found as the season went on is that the real beating heart of the show is Blanca, and her relationship to her kids... Which isn't to say that we didn't do really great narrative things that first season, because I actually really love the Angel/Stan storyline. That's a very real experience that I've heard from a lot of trans women about, that they'll date these men, and they're kept in a corner, or the men are not proud of them. So that storyline was really important."

---

Pose is a period piece detailing the LGBTQ scene of 1980s America

Running from 2018 to 2021, Pose achieved popularity because of its pro-LGBTQ stance and its attempts to showcase a unique time period in the history of New York City. While delving into ball culture, the show tackled several topics, ranging from ball culture to the repercussions of s**ually transmitted diseases.

Fans received the first season of Pose with overwhelmingly positive reviews, and the series became nominated for several awards, including the Golden Globes for Best Television Series and Best Actor (in the Drama category). Billy Porter was nominated for Best Actor (in the Television Series Drama category), before he went on to win the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series in 2019.

---

The cast of Pose was star-studded

Evan Peters was joined by a star-studded cast of actors and actresses. One of the major actresses was Kate Mara, who played his character's wife, Patty Bowes. They were joined by James Van Der Beek, who played the role of Matt Bromley.

Michaela Jaé Rodriguez was employed in the role of Rodriguez-Evangelista. Through her, Pose was instrumental in showcasing details about tabooed topics like s**ually transmitted diseases, as the character was portrayed to be a trans woman who was afflicted with HIV or AIDS. She played an instrumental role as not only the founder but also the mother of the House of Evangelista.

Other actors included Billy Porter, Dominique Jackson, Indya Moore, Ryan Jamal Swain, Charlaine Woodard, and Hailey Sahar.