Paulson has a love for language and its innovations. She has frequently become a meme for the ways in which she loves to indulge in slang and vernacular, including most recently for her (mis)use of the ballroom-coined term “clocking it.” The most enduring meme of her slang usage came during a 2020 Instagram live, in which, while mimicking her fans, she began saying “periodt,” as “period … T.”
All’s Fair and Its Press Tour(2025)
What happens when you send Sarah Paulson on a press tour to promote a divorce-lawyer drama that has her uttering such lines as: “Never mind me, how are you holding up, you poor discarded cum rag?” Well, obviously, she’s going to offer several full-throated defenses of pigeons. At no point has Paulson been more uniquely herself than on the press tour for the critically reviled All’s Fair and that is evidenced by her love for the humble pigeon, which she reminds us has been bred specifically to stick close to humans to carry our messages back and forth. She is also enamored by the fact that they mate for life. But, if you’re unconvinced by her plea for these so-called “rats with wings,” then wait til you hear what she has to say about paper towels.
The Bang Shake
When a person is an excellent actor, they can convey a lot with just one look: or, in Paulson’s case, just one shake of a bang. The Sarah Paulson Bang Shake, the unofficial term for the little movement that Paulson seems to reserve during red carpet photo ops is equal parts serious and whimsical; she flutters her head back and forth like she’s trying to pull of some Bewitched-esque nose magic, but also very much trying to serve a carpet look. The playful red-carpet fidget eventually became its own meme, with one popular variation taking the dissenting nod and pairing it with the caption: “Footage of Sarah when Ryan asks her to play only one role.”
Playing Lana Winters in American Horror Story: Asylum (2012)
After playing a much smaller role in the anthology series’ first season, Paulson was elevated to the main cast in 2012 for its second outing, Asylum, thus starting what would be her prominence on the show for almost a decade, outlasting even Jessica Lange. As Lana Winters, Paulson played a lesbian journalist who is unfairly imprisoned in the titular facility and forced to endure punishment from the sadistic nun running the joint, Sister Jude (Lange). Paulson would go on to earn the first of five total nominations for her work in the horror series, and if we’re being honest here, she should’ve won. The season garnered 17 total Emmy nominations making it one of the’ most beloved entries; she’s also the star of the many memes that have lived on far beyond its time on air, including the “This Is Good” gif and her walking with a disheveled Sister Jude in the show’s final moments.
Her Screaming
