Angelica Ross calls out Emma Roberts for misgendering her and playing 'mind games' on AHS: 1984 set

The actress says she did not speak out against Roberts at the time because she'd seen others face "repercussions" for doing so.

By Shania Russell
Published on September 20, 2023 01:59PM EDT

Angelica Ross is accusing her former costar Emma Roberts of making transphobic remarks while they were filming their show American Horror Story: 1984.

Getting candid about her AHS experience during an Instagram Live (which has since been reposted by various social media users), Ross detailed the aftermath of an on-set conflict with someone she dubbed "Miss ER," which she claims ended with the actress purposely misgendering her. She said director John J. Gray was attempting to defuse the situation when the exchange occurred.

"She goes, 'John, Angelica's being mean,'" Ross recalled. "And John is like, 'Okay, ladies, that's enough. Let's get back to work.' And she then looks at me and she goes, 'Don't you mean lady?' and she turns around."

Ross added that though her blood was "boiling," she chose not to speak out against Roberts because she'd witnessed others face "repercussions" for doing so.

Angelica Ross, Emma Roberts
Angelica Ross; Emma Roberts. Kevork Djansezian/Getty; Cindy Ord/Getty

"I'm looking at her dead-ass in the camera like, 'What the f--- did you just say?'" Ross recalled. "I'm trying to process what the f--- she just said. I'm standing there and she walked away. My blood is boiling. Boiling, because I'm like, 'If I say something, it's gonna be me that's the problem.' And I know this because there was someone that spoke up about what she was doing and they got repercussions from that."

She continued, "So when I saw that happening, I was just like, 'I'm done.' I didn't speak to that bitch the entire time after that. We had scenes together and I never spoke to her."

Ross added that Roberts eventually commented on the shift in mood. "She could feel the energy coming off of me," Ross said. "She was like, 'Are you okay? You haven't been talking.' I'm like, 'Mhm.' 'Cause bitch don't play me, you've been playing mind games with everyone on this set, and everyone's been waiting for the moment that you would get me."

Ross addressed how fans should respond and named the actress in a follow-up post on X, formerly known as Twitter. "I appreciate the support, but please do not joke about violence towards Emma," she wrote. "Joke about her being held accountable. Now THAT's funny."

In a separate follow-up post, Ross described another alleged incident involving her, Roberts, and Australian AHS actor Cody Fern, claiming that Roberts made fun of her voice by mimicking her speaking in a low register. "We're all sitting around & I'm copying Cody's accent," she wrote. "Emma then copies my voice & laugh and drops it several octaves. I was SHOOK. She read me for blood with my own words. Of course I was self-conscious about my voice on set after that."

Representatives for Roberts and FX's American Horror Story did not immediately respond to EW's request for comment.

Ross' claims follow her sharing emails between her and AHS creator and showrunner Ryan Murphy and saying he ghosted her after reaching out about his plans to produce a season of the horror anthology series with an all-Black cast.

The actress, who also starred in Murphy's acclaimed series Pose, posted email screenshots of exchanges with Murphy dating back to 2020, when she says he first expressed an interest in her idea for an AHS season centered around Black women. Ross said she asked to be considered for producing duties and sent several follow-ups — the latest she posted was from 2022 — but she received no response. She also claimed that she lost out on a potential Marvel opportunity as a result of it.

"It's not JUST that the idea changed," she wrote. "Things change all the time. It's that I called business affairs for MONTHS trying to get clarity if they were picking up my contract option or if I was ok to tell Marvel that I was available for whatever they were calling me for. I had been auditioning for THREE YEARS for Marvel. It's that I was HELD in first position the whole time."

Ross followed her social media posts about the situation with a tweet offering to divulge more details about her experiences on the production. "Please ask somebody about me," she wrote. "If I'm at the point of publicly showing receipts you can believe I don't have any f---s left to give when it comes down to it. And I'm not even done pulling out the receipts."

In a follow-up post on Monday, she added, "Will also tell you about the transphobic remarks my costar said to my face, and the racism I complained about on set that they said was 'free speech.' We on strike so you know I got time this week."

Ross appeared in the ninth and 10th seasons of American Horror Story. The series returns Sept. 20, with Roberts and Kim Kardashian starring in a two-part season based on Danielle Valentine's twisty thriller Delicate Condition.

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