Dark Secrets The Cast Of American Horror Story Tried To Hide

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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.

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."

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."

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.

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."

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."

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.

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."