Dark Secrets The Cast Of American Horror Story Tried To Hide

From inside the "Murder House" and the "Asylum," through "Roanoke" and "1984," and even a pit stop at the "Freak Show," the "American Horror Story" universe has kept fans guessing (and gasping) since the show's first iteration premiered in 2011. The show, which was created by Ryan Murphy and Brad Falchuck, introduced viewers to the "Murder House" in the fall of that year. Ever since, each iteration of the series has become arguably darker and often more sinister. "I think the star of 'American Horror Story' is 'American Horror Story' itself," actor Sarah Paulson, a frequent star of the series, told Variety in 2019. "The show is the thing and I think you can get a whole different group of actors and people will still watch it. I think that's the extraordinary thing that Ryan [and Brad] created, and I would love to [continue to] be a part of it. One time, I said I'd like it be to vampires in space when I'm 99 and I hope the show is still going then." But it's not just the characters who have had their darker sides see the light – many of the actors on the show have followed suit over the years, for better or for worse.

"American Horror Story" mainstay Sarah Paulson is well known for playing some of the most iconic characters in the series. But as her star continued to rise, Paulson was cautioned to keep a big part of herself secret from the public eye. The actor has been in a relationship with fellow actor Holland Taylor since 2015, and the couple's significant age difference has raised many eyebrows in Hollywood. "My life choices are, um, unconventional," Paulson shared with Net-a-Porter's "The Edit" (per InStyle). "I'm with a much older person, and people find that totally fascinating and odd, and to me, it's the least interesting thing about me." The actor was even cautioned against making her relationship well-known. "Some said: 'I think you have to be careful, I'm afraid it's going to affect your career negatively,'" she continued to "The Edit." "I was like, what? It never occurred to me at all."

That early pressure even made Paulson question whether or not she should address her personal life to the public, particularly when she accepted an Emmy Award for her role in "The People vs. OJ Simpson" in 2016. "The fact I'm having this thought is wrong," Paulson recalled to "The Edit." "But I had a moment of societal concern; wondering if, maybe, people who didn't know that about me would be like, wait, what? But then, you know, I did it anyway." Despite the early hesitancy, the couple have continued to profess their love for one another on social media, red carpets, and beyond.

Screen icon Jessica Lange has headlined some of "American Horror Story"'s most prolific seasons, including "Murder House," "Asylum," and "Coven." Her career started long before "AHS," spanning back to the late 1970's with roles in films like "Tootsie" and "Frances." It was on the set of the latter that Lange met her future husband, the late actor and playwright Sam Shepard. For 27 years, the couple embarked on what was later described as a "tumultuous" relationship that came to an end in 2009 (but wasn't revealed until 2011). "I wouldn't call Sammy easygoing and funny, but everybody has their dark side, and he always does it with a sense of humor," Lange said of her former partner to AARP The Magazine, ironically the same day news of Shepard's passing occurred in 2017.

Shepard had also commented on the normally private pair's relationship. "We're definitely an incredible match," he shared with The Guardian in 2010. "But, you know, not without fireworks ... although at this point, you know, she's the only woman I could live with. Who could live with me! What other woman would put up with me?" Despite their reportedly rocky relationship, Shepard and Lange continued to partner together professionally, including Shepard's feature film directorial debut "Far North," in which Lange starred. "When you're in the throes of a love affair, it's about darker emotions," Lange once said of Shepard in a 1991 Vanity Fair interview. "You can sustain that for a while, but you've got to find something else at the foundation. We've got a lot, a whole life together, but we'll also be best friends at some point. We're very close to it."

Evan Peters became everyone's weirdly dark screen crush as soon as he hit the small screen as the [SPOILER ALERT] ghostly heartthrob Tate Langdon on "American Horror Story: Murder House." Peters has retained his "AHS" legend status on many of the show's subsequent seasons, all the while becoming known for portraying dark, brooding characters. "It's just exhausting," Peters once shared of these sinister roles with GQ. "It's really mentally draining, and you don't want to go to those places ever in your life. And so you have to go there for the scenes, and it ends up integrating it somehow into your life ... I fight really hard to combat that ..."

One of Peters' most demanding and dark roles was as the title serial killer in another Ryan Murphy production, "Dahmer – Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story." While Peters eventually won a Golden Globe for his portrayal (something that didn't set well with all viewers), he was initially cautious about playing the notorious figure. "Honestly, I was very scared about all of the things that he did and diving into that and trying to commit and that was...absolutely going to be one of the hardest things I've ever had to do in my life because I wanted it to be very authentic," he shared in a behind-the-scenes video with Netflix. "But in order to do that, I was going to have to go to really dark places and stay there for an extended period of time."

Emma Roberts became known as everyone's favorite evil drama queen throughout her memorable roles on "American Horror Story" – let alone one of the most popular memes to be spurred from the show. But the darker side of her roles eventually bled into her real life; the actor was arrested in 2013 on domestic violence charges against her then-partner and former co-star Evan Peters. According to TMZ, police arrived to the scene to find Peters with a bloody nose and a bite mark, immediately prompting them to arrest Roberts. The actor was released hours later, and Peters reportedly did not press charges. The former couple then released a joint statement to US Weekly regarding the incident, saying "It was an unfortunate incident and misunderstanding. Ms. Roberts was released after questioning and the couple are working together to move past it."

Roberts and Peters stayed together on and off for seven years, and even were engaged for a period of time, before officially calling it quits in 2019. "Losing something is hard," Roberts told Cosmopolitan in 2019 shortly after their final breakup. "...I'm realizing that life is highs and lows. I'm trying to ride them out and live somewhere in the middle. When you're low, you think it's never going to end. When you're high, you're so scared of it ending. And I've lived in both of those places for too long."

Emma Roberts has faced her fair share of controversies, including making an alleged transphobic remark to her "1984" co-star Angelica Ross. Ross, who shared about the incident on Instagram Live (documented on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter), alleged that a director advised the two "ladies" to return to work after a break, to which Roberts replied cheekily "Don't you mean lady?" In response, Ross detailed her reaction: "I'm standing there looking her deadass in the [eyes], and I'm, like, trying to process [what] the f*** she just said ... She walked away. My blood is boiling. Boiling." Ross also went on to say that she hesitated saying something back to Roberts following another incident where a separate actor received repercussions after making a statement about the actor.

The video series later went viral, prompting Ross to post to X saying, "Let me make something absolutely clear. I appreciate the support but please do not joke about violence towards Emma. Joke about her being held accountable. Now THATs funny." Roberts eventually attempted to smooth things over with Ross, although she never publicly commented on the accusations. "Thank you @RobertsEmma for calling and apologizing, recognizing your behavior was not that of an ally," Ross posted to X. "I will leave the line open to follow up on your desire to do better and support social justice causes with your platform."

Taissa Farmiga became an early favorite in the "American Horror Story" universe with roles in "Murder House" and "Coven." But the actor also revealed that her famous older sibling almost prevented her from being cast in another horror juggernaut series. Taissa's older sister, Vera Farmiga, is known for her role in "The Conjuring" film series. The film series spawned multiple spin-offs, including "The Nun." While Taissa was up for the lead role in the original spin-off, her sibling almost stood in the way of her getting the part. "[Director Corin Hardy] didn't want it to be the easy solution: 'Taissa is Vera's younger sister; she can do it!' I had to go in and audition and fight for my part," Taissa shared with EW. "I knew that Taissa had auditioned, but I almost didn't immediately watch her [tape] ..." Hardy admitted to the publication. "Then I sat down, and put Taissa on, and she was just captivating in such a unique way... [The tape] finished and I was like, 'Okay, no one else can have this role except for her.'"

Taissa went on to star in both "The Nun" and "The Nun 2," furthering "The Conjuring" Cinematic Universe. Despite the potential for bad blood, the Farmiga sisters' penchant for paranormal roles has made them a favorite among horror directors, including Michael Chaves, who directed Taissa in "The Nun II" and Vera in "The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It. "Basically, I just want to work with Farmigas for the rest of my career," Chaves told People.

Denis O'Hare has made his mark on the "American Horror Story" universe with a number of standout roles including Spalding in "Coven" and Liz Taylor in "Hotel." Much like his characters, who each have a detailed and somber back story, some of O'Hare's real life tragedies have made their way into his work on screens big and small. The actor wrote a screenplay inspired by his sister's suicide in 2010 and looped in his "True Blood" co-stars Stephen Moyer, who directed the film version, and Anna Paquin, who played a character inspired by O'Hare's sister. The result was "The Parting Glass," a 2018 film that also starred O'Hare himself.

"It was a great story and a great mediation on family and death and memory, but I also wanted to exorcise some of the toxic after-effects of my sister's suicide and the best way for me to do that was to work through it and find a way of honoring her memory," Variety. While O'Hare claimed that much of the film was a joy to make, there were some moments where the reality of the story hit him harder. "I dreaded doing [the final scene] where [my character] finally lets go and lets the grief take him," he revealed. "The day of shooting that scene was oddly tense and it was the only time I was irritable and spiky on set."

Actor Zachary Quinto made audiences shudder with his hair-raising role in "American Horror Story: Asylum." Quinto, who is also best known for portraying Spock in the J.J. Abrams-era "Star Trek" films, came out as gay in 2011 in an interview with Vulture. "I think it's a really tenuous time for our country," he said at the time. "...It's like, you have the legalization of gay marriage in the state of New York and three months later you have Jamey Rodemeyer killing himself, yet another gay teenager bullied into taking his own life. And, you know, again, as a gay man, I look at that and say there's a hopelessness that surrounds it." 

Quinto followed his statement with a post on his web blog at the time. In his post (via HuffPost), he wrote "... I believe in the power of intention to change the landscape of our society — and it is my intention to live an authentic life of compassion and integrity and action."

Quinto has continued to work as an activist and champion of LGBTQIA+ representation throughout his career. He has starred in a number of queer-focused pieces both on stage and screen. "There's still a tremendous amount of fear around particularly openly gay men in our industry," he told The Independent. "... There are still actors who believe their careers are better served by not acknowledging their authentic selves. That's their prerogative, but I think we're part of a movement that is unstoppable."

Matt Bomer is no stranger to starring in Ryan Murphy projects. The "Hotel" heartthrob has made waves on screen and on stage through his partnerships with the powerhouse producer. But before he was a Hollywood household name, he practiced his acting chops in a very realistic way while growing up in the conservative south. "One of the ways I learned how to act, really, is by having secrets, and having to function as a kid in a public school in suburban Bible Belt Texas," he shared in an interview with fellow actor (and frequent Ryan Murphy collaborator) Andrew Rannells for Out Magazine. "Subsequently I worked on a gas pipeline with my brother for a while — there were ex-cons with us. It was not an environment where it was safe to be gay."

His time spent in that job ended up being formative for his future career as a performer. "I did learn how to protect myself — it was literally acting of the highest stakes," he continued to Out Magazine. "I had my brother to protect me, but as terrible as it may sound, it was a way I learned to select behavior and make choices, even if it was a ruse just to survive ..." Bomer eventually made it to Hollywood and the rest is history; he has starred in several LGBTQ-focused pieces like "The Normal Heart" and "The Boys In The Band," and also publicly came out as gay in 2012.

Fashion legend Billy Porter is best known for stealing scenes on stage and on screen in musicals like "Kinky Boots" and television shows including "Pose." But the star once kept a life-altering secret that he feared could have jeopardized his career. In 2012, the actor revealed that he was HIV+ and had been hiding his diagnosis for almost 15 years. 

"For a long time, everybody who needed to know, knew — except for my mother," he shared with The Hollywood Reporter. "I was trying to have a life and a career, and I wasn't certain I could if the wrong people knew. It would just be another way for people to discriminate against me in an already discriminatory profession. So I tried to think about it as little as I could." The stigma against HIV-positive people wasn't just in Porter's chosen profession – it was also part of an everyday prejudice that he grew up around. "HIV-positive, where I come from, growing up in the Pentecostal church with a very religious family, is God's punishment," he continued to The Hollywood Reporter.

But, in true artist fashion, Porter says that being able to channel his trauma and act out healing, even through a fictional character, has helped him cope: "[With] 'Pose,' [I had an] opportunity to work through the shame [of HIV] and where I have gotten to in this moment. And the brilliance of [my character] Pray Tell and this opportunity was that I was able to say everything that I wanted to say through a surrogate."

Oscar-winning actor Kathy Bates has turned heads on several seasons of "American Horror Story" including "Coven," "Freak Show," and "Roanoke." Beyond the accolades and the career-defining roles, Bates has also survived two bouts of cancer. "I don't think I really came out about being a cancer survivor until I developed breast cancer in 2012," the actor told Survivor Net. 

After overcoming ovarian cancer in 2003, Bates found out she had breast cancer over a decade later. But that wasn't all – after undergoing a double mastectomy, she later developed lymphedema, a condition that causes skin to swell and is linked to breast cancer. "I went berserk," she told Survivor Net. "I left the examining room and ran out of the building... I was bitter, I was depressed. I thought my career was over. I thought, 'There's no way, I'm done, everything is done.'"

Bates eventually survived the experience and has become an avid advocate for women's health, even serving as the national spokesman for the Lymphatic Education and Research Network. Despite her recovery, she still lives with the side effects of the condition, some that affect her everyday life for both better and worse. "...There's always a silver lining," she told the Lymphatic Education & Research Network (LE & RN). "I love to have massages and for the first time I can lie flat on my face on the table!"

Another Oscar-winning actor, Cuba Gooding Jr., has made his mark on several Ryan Murphy shows, including "American Horror Story: Roanoke." But in 2020, the actor faced sexual assault charges that included rape stemming back to 2013. According to the lawsuit filed, Gooding Jr. was accused of raping an unnamed woman in a New York City hotel room after he barricaded her from leaving the room to go find her friend. 

The victim sued Gooding Jr. for a "crime of violence" based on her gender. The claim was filed under the New York City Victims of Gender-Motivated Violence Protection Act. "We never received the complaint, but the allegations are completely false and perjurious," the actor's lawyer, Mark Jay Heller, told Variety at the time. "The contentions that he acted inappropriately in the complaint are completely inappropriate and untruthful." Gooding Jr. never publicly spoke about the incident, but the case was eventually settled moments before the actor was scheduled to appear in court in June 2023.

This was not the first time the actor had been accused of sexual misconduct. In 2019, he was accused by three women of sexual assault before he voluntarily turned himself in to a New York City police station. He eventually pled guilty to one of those charges and accepted a plea deal, for which he completed the conditions in 2022 and allowed him to avoid jail time.

Another Ryan Murphy collaborator, Matthew Morrison, has been the subject of sexual harassment allegations. The former "Glee" and "American Horror Story: 1984" actor was fired from his hosting position on "So You Think You Can Dance" in 2022 following claims that he was inappropriate with a contestant. 

An anonymous source with the show told People Magazine that the victim "felt uncomfortable with [Morrison's] line of comments and went to producers, who then got Fox involved. He was fired after they did their own investigation." Morrison was immediately fired from the reboot of the reality show, which at the time also starred JoJo Siwa and the late Stephen "tWitch" Boss.

But Morrison took matters into his own hands days later and posted a lengthy video on Instagram to tell his side of the story. "It's really unfortunate that I have to sit here and defend myself and my family against blatantly untrue statements made anonymously, but I have nothing to hide," he said in the video. "So, in the interest of transparency, I will read to you the one message I wrote to a dancer on the show." The message, he said, was "sent ... because this dancer and I both share a mutual respect for a choreographer that I've known for over 20 years and I was trying to help her get a job as a choreographer on the show." Even with his apology, Morrison did not come back to the show.

Finn Wittrock first appeared in the "AHS" universe in "Freak Show" as the psychopathic Dandy Mott, and has since featured in a number of other seasons. His penchant for dramatic roles has made him a go-to in Hollywood, but before he made it big, he once took a big risk by turning down one of the most prestigious performing arts schools in the world. 

"I got into Juilliard and with some 18-year-old hubris I decided that I didn't want to go yet," he told Interview Magazine in 2014. "...I'd done a little bit of TV, and I was like, 'I want to try and stay in L.A.' I tried to defer for a year, but they wouldn't let me. So I turned them down, which people don't do much." But the actor's self-professed gap year didn't end up working in his favor. "Then I auditioned the next year and they let me back in. Someone told me I was the only one who got into Juilliard twice."

Wittrock says that his off year wasn't all that bad on the other coast, though. "I learned what it was like to work and what it was like to not work," he continued to Interview Magazine. "I had a good few months where I was working at a frozen yogurt shop and just scraping by. Then I got a few guest stars ... so I learned both sides of that, which I think is important. It's good to know what it's like to not have it."

Gabourey Sidibe first appeared in the "American Horror Story" universe in "Coven" and has remained a returning favorite ever since. But before she found the spotlight, Sidibe was performing in a difference capacity trying to make ends meet: the actor used to be a phone sex operator. 

"You think that phone sex is about getting the caller off, but it's about keeping the caller on," she once told NPR. "It's about leading with your personality and making sure that they're still listening and they're still interested in you, because you cannot make money when they hang up." Sidibe has also written about her experience in her memoir, "This Is Just My Face: Try Not To Stare:" "I was a good talker, which gave me a sense of accomplishment, and I was able to help my mom with the rent, which made me feel productive. I could afford to have fun."

It wasn't just life that Sidibe was able to handle by working at this job – she also started to gain confidence that has guided her throughout her rise to stardom. "[In that position] I learned to ask for what I wanted ... I'm not afraid to say anything to anyone. I'm not afraid to be anyone. I've experienced the worst of people, and learned that we're all still human. My patience taught me to survive, and my intelligence helped me say yes to acting when the opportunity was presented to me."