Sarah Paulson reveals her ‘controversial’ choice for her least favourite American Horror Story season

American Horror Story star Sarah Paulson has revealed which season of the Ryan Murphy anthology series is her least favourite. 

The actress, who is currently starring in Murphy’s critically panned divorce drama All’s Fair, appeared on Bravo’s Watch What Happens Live, where host Andy Cohen pressed her on which American Horror Story season is her least favourite.

“This is going to be controversial because a lot of people love it,” Paulson said tentatively, before adding: “But I’m going to vote … Roanoke.”

Cohen reacted with surprise at Paulson’s choice, to which she said that the season just “wasn’t for [her].”

Paulson first appeared in season two of the horror show, American Horror Story: Asylum, and has appeared in eight of twelve seasons in total.

Roanoke was a critical hit compared to previous seasons of the show, but proved to be more divisive within the fandom.

The season parted from the established American Horror Story format, and was instead presented in two parts: the first part as a paranormal documentary, and the second half as footage found from attempts to film a follow-up documentary, which ended in brutal tragedy.

In 2021, speaking about Roanoke, Paulson told the Awards Chatter podcast that she wished she had asked Murphy to “sit this one out”.

“I just don’t care about this season at all. I know people will get mad at me for saying it, but to me, this was post having played Marcia [Clark, in The People v. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story], and it was what I went to do right after finishing Marcia, and I was so underwhelmed by the whole experience because I felt like I had entered into a new place inside of myself in terms of what I thought possible, in terms of what I might be willing to see if I can do,” she said.

“I felt really kind of trapped by my responsibility and my contractual obligation to do American Horror Story. As much as it’s my home and I’ve loved it always, it was the first time I felt like I wish I could have gone to Ryan and said please let me sit this one out. You know, let me out.”

Earlier this week it was confirmed that Paulson would be returning to American Horror Story after two seasons away, for the as-yet untitled 13th season. She will be joined in the cast by Ariana Grande and fellow American Horror Story stalwarts Angela Bassett, Evan Peters, Kathy Bates, Emma Roberts, Billie Lourd, Gabourey Sidibe, and Jessica Lange.

It marks the first time Lange has returned to the show since season four, Freakshow, in 2014.

The bulk of the characters returning for season 13 appeared in the fan-favourite third season Coven, leading to fan speculation that the upcoming outing will be connected to the witch-inspired plot.

Before marking her return to the anthology series, she will be fielding the response to All’s Fair, which has gone viral for the scathing reviews its received.

The Guardian issued it a rare zero star review – one of just 18 zero star reviews in the publication’s history – dubbing it “fascinatingly, existentially terrible”.

The show follows a firm of female divorce lawyers, with Sarah Paulson, Kim Kardashian, Glenn Close, Niecy Nash, and Noami Watts starring.

Share your thoughts! Let us know in the comments below, and remember to keep the conversation respectful.