Charisma Carpenter Confirms She Won’t Appear in Buffy Reboot
Charisma Carpenter has put speculation to rest about her involvement in the highly anticipated Buffy the Vampire Slayer reboot. The actress, best known for her role as Cordelia Chase in the original series and its spin-off Angel, revealed she will not be part of the new show.
“Hey, I get asked this a lot, ‘Are you doing the reboot?’, and I thought I would address it,” Carpenter said in a TikTok video. “I am not in the reboot. I am not in the pilot. I don’t even know if the show has been picked up to go to series. I assume it will.”
Charisma Carpenter isn’t back for ‘BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER: NEW SUNNYDALE’ yet. #BuffyTheVampireSlayer pic.twitter.com/6zzlT04rkF
— CriticalOverlord (@CriticalOverlo3) August 17, 2025
Carpenter’s announcement comes as Sarah Michelle Gellar, who will reprise her role as Buffy Summers, continues to drum up excitement for the reboot.
Gellar has expressed her wish to bring back familiar faces, including former co-stars Alyson Hannigan, Nicholas Brendon and Anthony Head, while also making room for new characters.
“We will try to find a balance between new and old characters,” Gellar said. “My dream is to bring back everyone who has died, but space will have to be made for new stories as well.”
The reboot centres on a new Slayer, portrayed by young actress Ryan Kiera Armstrong. The pilot is being directed by Oscar-winner Chloé Zhao, and while the show has not officially been commissioned for a full series, expectations are high.
Buffy the Vampire Slayer originally aired in 1997, following high schooler Buffy Summers as she battled vampires and other supernatural threats. The show ran for seven seasons, ending in 2003.
Carpenter’s character, Cordelia, featured prominently in the early seasons before moving to the spin-off Angel, which ran until 2004.
Original Buffy creator Joss Whedon will not be involved in the reboot, following past allegations of misconduct. Carpenter had previously shared her own negative experiences on set, although Whedon has publicly denied some of the claims.
“Most of my experiences with Charisma were delightful and charming. I did not call her fat,” Whedon stated in response.
Gellar has also distanced herself from Whedon, emphasising her pride in Buffy as a character and in the show’s legacy.
“While I am proud to have my name associated with Buffy Summers, I don’t want to be forever associated with the name Joss Whedon,” she said.
Although Carpenter won’t be reprising her role, fans remain eager for the reboot’s blend of familiar nostalgia and fresh storytelling. The series promises to introduce Buffy’s world to a new generation while honouring the legacy of the original cast.
