‘American Horror Story’ Star Angelica Ross Calls Out Ryan Murphy For Ghosting Her After She Complained About ‘Racism’ On Set

Angelica Ross has spoken out about the alleged mistreatment she was subjected to throughout her time on the show American Horror Story: 1984, and show creator Ryan Murphy‘s failure to support her.

Ross starred in two seasons of the anthology series American Horror Story, as well as the series Pose, centered around the LGBTQ community in New York’s 1980 underground ball culture, both overseen by Murphy.

Ross recounted the “disrespectful” behavior she’d experienced. Ross described a crew member who wore offensive shirts on set.

“Every day, he was wearing a racist T-shirt. One day it was, ‘BUILD THAT WALL.’ The next day, it was white praying hands in front of an American flag, and it said, ‘I DON’T KNEEL.’ Those are the ones I remember. This guy had a collection,” Ross told The Hollywood Reporter.

In response to the disrespectful attire, Ross had tweeted, “It’s a shame that I do all this work out in the world on anti-Blackness and racism and have to come to a set and do the same work.”

She then refused to leave a production van until the matter was resolved.

At the request of Murphy, via producer Tanase Popa, Ross said she deleted the tweet but felt silenced. 

Murphy called her, Ross recounted, “He starts off not, ‘Are you Ok?’ Not, “What’s going on?” He starts off: ‘What’s your f—ing problem? Are you serious?’ He goes, ‘You think that I would f—— silence you after all I’ve done and I’ve been an advocate and done nothing but uplift trans-black women?'”

Ross continued, “I say, ‘Ryan, that’s not what’s going on here. First of all, the situation has not been handled. The guy is still on set.’”

She went on to tell Murphy, “Ever since I’ve been on Pose, your white actors aren’t clocking in like we’re clocking in. We have to go out there now because Pose is this big show. And you’re saying that Pose is not just entertainment, it’s an act of advocacy. You’re not calculating that you have turned your actors also into advocates.'”

She told Murphy that his refusal to resolve the situation made her feel unsafe. Ross noted that Murphy apologized and she believed him.

Ross had previously talked to Murphy about the possibility of a season of American Horror Story with an all-black female cast. In a series of posts on X, Ross showed screenshots of Murphy’s email to her that he was excited to get started on it and wanted her to help brainstorm the writer’s room. He then ignored her multiple attempts to follow up.

Ross also recently called out her American Horror Story co-star Emma Roberts for transphobic comments on set.

Ross said she plans to return to her home state Georgia and run for political office. “I’m fully walking away from Hollywood. But I’m always going to be who I am,” she said.