Sarah Paulson’s least favourite American Horror Story season is Ryan Murphy’s favourite
Sarah Paulson says there’s one American Horror Story season she ‘doesn’t give a s—’ about — but Ryan Murphy begs to differ; which is she calling out?
Here’s one that’s bound to stir the American Horror Story crowd into another round of arguments: Sarah Paulson has opened up (once again) about which season of the FX anthology she just can’t stand, and spoiler – it’s not the one everyone usually moans about online. For old hands and newcomers, Paulson is basically the series' anchor, popping up in nearly every run and usually stealing the best scenes. Her opinions on the material carry a bit of weight – but the show’s creative godfather, Ryan Murphy, is absolutely having none of her negativity here.
The Roanoke Divide
Entertainment Weekly pressed Paulson to pick her least favourite role she’s played across the American Horror Story seasons. She didn’t hedge her answer. The worst, she says, has to be American Horror Story: Roanoke, the 2016 season where she pulled double duty as both Shelby Miller and Audrey Tindall. As Paulson put it to EW:
She told Entertainment Weekly: "I don't like it! It's not for me! I like a lot of things about it, but that one wasn't for me. I don't give a s--- about that season. Sorry!"
Now, if you’ve forgotten or blacked out Roanoke, here’s the gist: the season kicks off in rural North Carolina, looks normal enough, but quickly pivots into an elaborate ‘real crime’ documentary called My Roanoke Nightmare. Then just as you get comfy, it flips the format again halfway through, dragging everyone (actors and so-called 'real people') back to the haunted house for a reality show twist that makes even die-hards squint. It’s always been one of the weirdest, least typical outings for the show – some adored it, some tapped out early doors.
American Horror Story: Roanoke went out in 2016 with Paulson juggling two roles in what’s arguably the series' most divisive format switch.
Murphy’s Favourite, Paulson’s Bane
Ryan Murphy wasn’t going to let Paulson’s public demolition of Roanoke stand uncontested. He leapt in on social media after the EW interview clip picked up steam, responding with the all-caps plea "JUSTICE FOR ROANOKE." Far from being embarrassed, Murphy went all-in, crowning Roanoke as his personal favourite season, and giving Paulson’s performance heavy praise. 'My favourite season, Sarah’s least favourite… but she was so good in it!' he wrote, which, frankly, must slightly sting.
Turns out, Paulson and Murphy have been sparring over Roanoke for years. He admits they’ve had a few proper ‘arguments’ about the merits or not of the season. Paulson herself, back on the Awards Chatter podcast in 2021, confessed she felt ‘underwhelmed’ at best during the Roanoke shoot, and in retrospect, kind of wishes she’d just asked Murphy to let her skip it altogether. For a series with this much behind-the-scenes loyalty, that’s unusually honest.
Read more: Ryan Murphy has finished the Glee reboot script. Now he's ringing round the original cast.
Paulson’s Starts and Stops
After Roanoke and a couple more seasons, Paulson took her own hiatus: she stepped back after season 9, popped up again for season 10, then gave seasons 11 and 12 a miss. Now she’s back once more for American Horror Story: 13 (yes, really, season thirteen), which premiered over on FX on 24 September 2026. Ryan Murphy’s already teasing that this time round, Paulson’s juggling 'six or seven roles', because apparently, there’s no such thing as giving her a breather.