Angelica Ross explains why she called out Emma Roberts’ transphobia on American Horror Story set
Ross said in a new interview: “I’ve had it with Hollywood and the protection of bad actors”. (Getty Images)
Trans actor Angelica Ross has opened up about why she called out her co-star Emma Roberts, following alleged transphobic comments on the set of American Horror Story: 1984.
Ross starred alongside Roberts in the ninth season of the series, which aired back in 2019. She also collaborated with AHS creator Ryan Murphy on the critically acclaimed NYC ballroom drama, Pose.
Ross alleged that Roberts deliberately misgendered her when they worked together. In a new interview, Ross addressed what it was like working whilst being subjected to transphobia.
“I’m even more proud of it when I think about what I went through to get the job done,” she told BuzzFeed. “I’ve had it with Hollywood and the protection of bad actors. And when I say bad actors, I’m not talking just about performance. I’m saying folks who are behaving badly and everyone knows they’re behaving badly.”
She went on to explain that she received a slew of DMs and text messages from other folks in the LGBTQ+ community in the industry who have also had to work in similar circumstances.
The actress added that she spoke with Roberts following her transphobic comments, saying: “‘You know what was going on. If you don’t want to talk about the overarching issue of how you’re behaving, then apologising ain’t going to do anything for me…You’re not sorry, you’re just sorry that [backlash] has come.'”
Ross also said that she doesn’t support the industry “treating Black people differently” whilst simultaneously “trying to pretend [they’re] for diversity and inclusion when [they] just want more white women at the table”.
“We’re not calling out how those same white women sometimes are very violent on set with their privilege,” she said.
PinkNews has contacted a representative of Emma Roberts for a comment on the matter.
The Pose star previously told fans that Roberts had joking complained to the director about “Angelica being mean”, prompting him to say: “OK ladies, that’s enough. Get back to work.”
“She then looks at me, she goes ‘don’t you mean lady?’,” Ross alleged.
“I’m standing there looking her deadass in the damn [camera] trying to process [what] the f*ck she just said.
“I’m like, ‘If I say something, it’s going to be me that’s the problem,’ and I know this because there was someone who spoke up about what she was doing and they got repercussions from it. Not her! They did.”
Roberts did not respond to PinkNews’ request for comment at the time.
