Sarah Paulson’s Real-Life Phobias Were Used To Torture Her In AHS:Cult

No one is more scared of American Horror Story this season than Sarah Paulson. That's because Paulson's real-life fears were written into the AHS: Cult script.

Paulson told Ellen DeGeneres that everything you see her character Ally (who is suffering from debilitating anxiety after the 2016 election) screaming at onscreen is actually something that would make her cry bloody murder in real life, too. That's right, she's deathly afraid of clowns, heights, and bees. “I could be carrying a small child, and if a bee came around, that baby’s getting dropped,” she said. “I can’t manage my feeling about it.” She's joking, we think, but maybe don't hand Paulson your baby when she's outside.

While clowns and bees are pretty standard fears, after the season premiere of AHS:Cult there were some who questioned whether there are people in the world like Ally who are truly afraid of tiny holes. Yes, people really are, it's called trypophobia, which is the fear of clusters of small holes or bumps, and Paulson is one of them. “I just think they’re disgusting,” she said. “I can’t look at a coral reef or a natural sponge.”

That's why Ally asks her therapist, played by Cheyenne Jackson, to move a hunk of dried coral off his desk. And now we know that Paulson would do the exact same thing if she was put into that situation in real life.

Basically, this season, Paulson isn't doing as much acting as we first thought. That's apparently what you get for being besties with Ryan Murphy. Not to mention, DeGeneres, who had a little too much fun scaring the bejeezus out of Paulson not once, not twice, but three times.

The host even had a clown pop out to scare Paulson when she least expected it. By the end of the interview, Paulson was hiding under the coffee table with a new fear: Ellen DeGeneres' pranks. It was all in good fun, of course. Paulson tweeted that the clown scare "is funny to me now."

If you think you might have a phobia and want to seek help, click here for more resources.