Sarah Paulson finally breaks silence on negative All’s Fair reviews

Sarah Paulson has finally responded to critics who savaged Ryan Murphy’s new legal drama All’s Fair, which she starred in alongside Kim Kardashian.

In the nine-part drama, Paulson plays foul-mouthed divorce lawyer Carrington Lane, the rival to Kardashian’s wag and fellow lawyer Allura Grant. Naomi Watts, Niecy Nash-Betts and Teyana Taylor also star as lawyers working with Grant, while Hollywood giant Glenn Close plays the leads’ early mentor, Dina Standish.

Despite its star-studded cast and Murphy’s infamous camp stamp, All’s Fair received a slew of notoriously poor reviews, including a zero star review in The Guardian and The Times. The latter publication also dubbed it the “worst TV drama ever”.

The series debuted on Rotten Tomatoes with a staggering zero per cent approval rating, though this has since risen – to three per cent.

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Now, Paulson has addressed the scathing critical response, telling Variety that what matters most to her is the “absolute unbridled joy” she felt while making it.

“Does anybody like to get reviews from the critics that are not stellar? No,” said Paulson, who has just received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

“It’s always a wild thing to put the thing you’ve been working on out into the world for people to determine its value. But I feel like what matters to me is the absolute unbridled joy and fun we have had making and promoting the show. There’s not a single thing or person in the world that could change that,” she added.

Other stars involved in the drama have also addressed the negative response, including Kim Kardashian and Glenn Close.

In the days following the first episode’s premiere on Hulu, Close posted a photo on Instagram of a drawing she had created, which featured those involved in the show cooking critics in a pot.

The pot was labelled “critic-bunny stew”, referencing Close’s Oscar-nominated role in the 1987 thriller, Fatal Attraction.

In a separate interview with Variety, Close suggested that the negative reception was a result of the first three episodes being “the weakest”.

“That was a tough way to start. I’ve seen all nine episodes, and I think it actually adds up to something,” she said.

She also defended Kardashian, whose performance received particular savaging from critics, stating that the family has a negative “image” that may have affected reviews.

Kardashian herself also sarcastically responded to the poor reviews, writing in an Instagram post following the show’s release: “Have you tuned in to the most critically acclaimed show of the year!?!?!? All’s Fair streaming now on @hulu and @disneyplus.”

Despite the less-than-impressive reviews, All’s Fair has proven to be a pretty big success; it received 3.2 million viewers globally in the first three days of it being available to stream.

It’s the most popular scripted series to debut on Hulu Originals since 2022, and as a result, has already been renewed for season two.

All’s Fair is streaming now on Disney+ and Hulu.

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