As weird as it may sound, one American Horror Story season connection proved that a major fault with the series exists in-universe, too. Long before the divisive reception of Dahmer – Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story, showrunner Ryan Murphy had been accused of exploiting real-life crimes for television drama. Almost every season of American Horror Story features at least one real-life figure among its cast list. Sometimes, these figures are as historically distant as the inhabitants of the lost Roanoke colony. Sometimes, they are living people like Mia Farrow or Roman Polanski, both of whom appear in season 12.

While American Horror Story season 12’s finale was divisive, it was the preceding episode that implied Farrow was the victim of an age-old cult while shooting Rosemary’s Baby. This was more than a little strange since the real-life Farrow recently collaborated with Murphy on The Watcher and even rejected a role in American Horror Story’s first season. The uneasy relationship between American Horror Story’s real-life characters and their actual experiences has always run the risk of seeming creepy or exploitative. However, season 7, Cult, proved that American Horror Story does at least acknowledge this fact in-universe.

Cult’s Twisty the Clown Cameo Mocks American Horror Story’s Real-Life Characters

American Horror Story Often Depict Real-Life Figures

In one peculiar scene, Cult confirmed that American Horror Story’s tacky treatment of real-life characters extends into the show’s universe. Throughout its seasons, American Horror Story has depicted fictionalized versions of real-life figures such as John Wayne Gary, Richard Ramirez, Valerie Solanas, Polanski, and Delphine LaLaurie among many, many more. Similarly, a comic book in Cult depicts the killing spree of Twisty the Clown even though, within the show’s universe, he is a real-life serial killer with real victims. American Horror Story’s many wild twists mean it can be tough to get a handle on the show’s version of reality.

Fortunately, the story of Twisty the Clown is fairly straightforward. The clown was a popular circus attraction until a group of jealous colleagues falsely accused him of endangering children. Twisty lost his job and became destitute, eventually losing his lower jaw to a gruesome accident. He then became a deranged serial killer who kidnapped children in an attempt to protect them from the horrors of adult life. Twisty the Clown’s killing spree was so famous that it spawned a comic, Twisty: the Clown Chronicles, as revealed in Cult. This proves that American Horror Story’s characters aren’t averse to potentially exploitative media.

Twisty the Clown’s Return Highlights An Awkward American Horror Story Question

The Show’s Depictions Of Real-Life People Can Seem Exploitative

It makes sense for Twisty the Clown’s crimes to be immortalized in media within the world of American Horror Story, since the show frequently features real-life murderers among its characters. 1984’s Richard Ramirez was the most questionable example of this, as many viewers complained American Horror Story romanticized and glamorized the real-life serial killer. The fact that 1984 was almost as broad and campy as Ryan Murphy’s Scream Queens didn’t help, but there are also a few earlier instances of this. This might be why Cult proved American Horror Story’s in-universe characters have the same ghoulish taste in media.