Get ready to cower in abject terror under your blankets this autumn — but like, in a gay way.
American Horror Story season 11 is nearly upon us, because Ryan Murphy simply refuses to admit he knows the meaning of the word “quit.” This season looks to be one of the show’s queerest yet, with an impressive cast representing several generations of LGBTQ+ talent from film, TV, and Broadway.
Perhaps the most well-recognized queer name in the known AHS cast so far is Zachary Quinto, of Heroes fame, and whose portrayal of Spock in J.J. Abrams’ Star Trek I still adore. Quinto, who publicly came out as gay in 2011, previously appeared in the Murder House and Asylum seasons, winning multiple awards for his portrayals of both murderer and victim.
Quinto also played Louis Ironson in the 2010 Broadway revival of the iconic play Angels in America, making it especially appropriate that he should appear in this season of AHS alongside Joe Mantello, who played the role in the show’s 1993 Broadway debut. Mantello, in turn, was also a member of the 2018 Broadway cast of The Boys in the Band alongside rising gay star Charlie Carver, who has also been confirmed for AHS season 11 via an on-set kiss with costar Isaac Cole Powell, lately of West Side Story.
The eleventh season of AHS will also reportedly feature bi comedian Sandra Bernhard, a collaborator of Murphy’s who recently played Nurse Judy Kubrak on the FX hit Pose. Bernhard’s casting may lead to controversy for AHS, however, as she’s come under fire in recent years for racist jokes about Mariah Carey in her 1998 stand-up special I’m Still Here… Damn It! Bernhard told The Guardian last year she does not regret any of her jokes and regards them as time-appropriate “social commentary.”
Oh and did we mention … Patti freakin’ Lupone? Sure, she’s not gay, but the Tony and Grammy winner is a gay favorite who has previously appeared in the Murphyverse in AHS season 3 as well as Pose and Hollywood.
Few details about AHS season 11’s plot have been revealed, but set photos indicate the show may take place around the 1970s-80s, the same general time period as Murphy’s Studio 54: American Crime Story, which is also in production. You know what they say about assumptions, but might we see a horror-crime crossover hit the small screen very soon? Only time and Ryan Murphy himself will tell.
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