Sarah Paulson and Holland Taylor have built a relationship that has lasted more than a decade, but despite their deep commitment to each other, marriage has never been something they felt they needed. For Paulson, their emotional connection already gives her the feeling of being married, without requiring a legal commitment or a traditional definition of their relationship.
According to UNILAD, the 51-year-old actress opened up about her views on marriage during an appearance on the November 12 episode of Chelsea Handler’s podcast, Dear Chelsea. While discussing relationships and her personal choices, the American Horror Story star admitted that she is actually happy she has never walked down the aisle.
“I’m happy that I haven’t been married,” Paulson said. “I feel that I’ve maintained some sense of myself in a way.”
“The bond, the connectivity I have with Holland, I feel married to her,” she explained.
“But I don’t have or have never had the need to have it be something written in stone somehow.
“The stoneness of it gives me the heebie-jeebies.” Paulson added.
For her, remaining unmarried is also connected to maintaining a personal sense of freedom and independence. She stressed that this has nothing to do with wanting distance from Taylor or leaving room for another relationship.
“It’s not about being away from her or being with another person. It’s just about maintaining a sense of my own independence,” she said.
Paulson said Taylor ‘feels that way too much’.
“We just have never, ever felt the need to [get married],” she added, adding that she feels “as connected to another person as I possibly could to Holland”
Taylor has previously expressed similar thoughts about the subject. During an appearance on SiriusXM’s Radio Andy in August 2024, the Two and a Half Men actress was asked whether marriage might be part of their future.
“”I don’t think [we’ll get married]. We’ve never talked about it with any interest. It doesn’t seem to mean to us what it means to a lot of people.” Taylor explained.
The couple began dating after reconnecting in 2015. Before her relationship with Taylor, Paulson was involved with actress Cherry Jones from 2004 until 2009.
Sarah Paulson Also Opens Up About Why She Never Had Children
Marriage was not the only personal subject Paulson discussed during her conversation with Handler. The actress also spoke candidly about her decision not to have children, explaining that she is comfortable with the life she has chosen.
“I like my life. I’m happy that I haven’t had children,” she said.
Paulson admitted that she does not believe she has the temperament needed to raise another person.
“I know that I don’t have the constitution to raise a creature, a person, a being, and then be like, ‘Oh, he’ll have a wonderful day outside and I hope it’s great.’ I can just see myself following them.” she explained.
Describing her heart as “too fragile,” Paulson said: “I feel too many things. It’s too much for me.”
Why the Couple Choose to Live in Separate Homes
Paulson and Taylor have also taken an unconventional approach to their living arrangements. Despite spending considerable time together, the actresses do not maintain a permanent shared home.
Paulson previously discussed the decision during a 2024 appearance on the SmartLess podcast, where she explained that living separately allows them to enjoy their relationship while preserving their individual space.
“Yeah, we don’t live together. That’s the secret to it,” she revealed. “We spend plenty of time together, but we don’t live in the same house.”
Their arrangement is partly influenced by Taylor’s long-standing preference for living independently. Before their relationship, the actress had not shared her home with anyone for a considerable period, making the idea of permanently combining their living spaces a potentially overwhelming change.
Their acting careers also play an important role in how they organize their lives. During a recent appearance on The Drew Barrymore Show, Taylor explained that their professional commitments frequently take them to different locations.
In New York City, Taylor owns an apartment where Paulson stays whenever their schedules bring both actresses to the city at the same time.
In Los Angeles, they each have separate homes. However, Taylor revealed in October that Paulson had been temporarily staying at her house for nearly a year while waiting to move into a newly purchased property.
Despite maintaining separate homes, the couple have no shortage of affection when they are together. Paulson dismissed the suggestion that they could simply move into one house with separate bedrooms, explaining that they actually enjoy sharing a bed.
She revealed that falling asleep while holding Taylor’s hand is her favorite habit whenever they spend the night together.
