Why was Jenna Ortega not in You Season 5? Details explored

You Season 5 came and went without a single glimpse of Ellie Alves. And while some fans still held out hope for a last-minute cameo, Jenna Ortega never showed up. The reason? It had nothing to do with the storyline, and everything to do with timing.

Ellie was never just another name in Joe Goldberg’s past. She represented the possibility of redemption, of someone he hadn’t completely destroyed. However, her absence in the final chapter doesn’t erase her impact, it only makes it sharper, a reminder of all the unfinished consequences Joe tried to outrun.

Why Jenna Ortega missed You Season 5: Scheduling, not story

Jenna Ortega’s absence from You Season 5 was due to a scheduling conflict with the second season of Wednesday, which filmed in Ireland during the same period. The showrunners confirmed that they had originally planned to bring Ellie back in a meaningful way, but Ortega's packed agenda as Netflix’s Addams icon made it impossible.

In an interview with Business Insider, executive producers Michael Foley and Justin W. Lo explained that Ortega was meant to play a significant role in a now-scrapped storyline involving two vigilante characters, Dominique and Phoenix, who were investigating Joe Goldberg’s past. Ellie would’ve helped expose him, connecting her arc to the show’s larger reckoning. But once the team realized they couldn’t make the timing work, they pivoted.

And they weren’t just trying to squeeze in a cameo. The writers had envisioned Ellie as a crucial piece of Joe’s downfall. Her character had both motive and history. Unlike many of Joe’s later victims, Ellie knew him when he still pretended to be someone better. Her return wouldn’t just have been satisfying, it could’ve been damning.

Ellie Alves and her missing closure in You Season 5

Ellie’s story was one of the biggest unresolved threads in the entire series. Introduced in Season 2 as Delilah’s younger sister, she formed an unlikely bond with Joe, who saw himself as her protector while being partially responsible for the circumstances that destroyed her family.

By the end of that season, Joe helps Ellie disappear and begins sending her money regularly, a thread that’s briefly acknowledged in Seasons 3 and 4. But she never returns on screen. For fans who had followed her journey, that lingering silence always felt like unfinished business.

Season 5, then, seemed like the perfect chance to bring her back, especially as the show revisited Joe’s past crimes and put him under the lens of public scrutiny. But the opportunity slipped away. Not because the character was forgotten, but because the actress playing her had outgrown the schedule that made You possible in the first place.

How Jenna Ortega’s career changed the trajectory of You

By the time You Season 5 was in production, Jenna Ortega was one of Netflix’s biggest stars. Wednesday became a cultural juggernaut, turning her into a household name and reshaping the kinds of projects she could choose. Add to that her roles in Scream, Beetlejuice 2, and other upcoming features, and it’s clear why her calendar was fully booked.

In a way, her absence from You is a side effect of her success. The version of Ellie we met in Season 2 belonged to a very different stage in Ortega’s career. And while the writers hoped to bring that version back for one final confrontation with Joe, the timing just didn’t align. Someone could just write a fanfiction of this side plotline, maybe? So Ellie has a closure somehow. In the end, just knowing she would have if the actress were not busy, quiets our hearts a bit.

Still, it’s telling that even without appearing on screen, Ellie remained in the conversation, both among fans and within the show’s own dialogue. She was mentioned, remembered, and framed as someone who could’ve made a difference. And maybe, in that, she still did.

You Season 5 and the characters who deserved more

Trending

You Season 5 closes Joe Goldberg’s story for good. And while Ellie didn’t get to come back, her impact on Joe and on viewers remains. In the end, Jenna Ortega’s star power simply collided with her own rise. Playing Wednesday Addams made her unavailable, but it also proved that sometimes, a character lives on in silence and in what could’ve been.

There’s something poetic about Ellie being the one who got away. Not just from Joe, but from the show’s descent into darkness. Her survival, even off-screen, is its own kind of victory. And in a series where few get to walk away unscathed, maybe that’s the best ending she could have had.

×

Was this article helpful?

Thank You for feedback