Sarah Paulson reveals why she and partner Holland Taylor live in separate houses

Sarah Paulson has revealed why she and her longtime partner, Holland Taylor, live in separate houses.

The 49-year-old actor spoke candidly about the dynamics of her relationship with Taylor – who she’s been dating since 2015 – during Monday’s episode of Jason Bateman, Sean Hayes, and Will Arnett’s podcast,SmartLess. During the conversation, Paulson acknowledged that while she and her partner “spend plenty of time together,” they don’t “actually live in the same house”.

She continued to open up about the living arrangement, describing how it’s been one of the keys to their successful relationship.

“We’ve been together for a long time now and I think part of it has to do with, we’re together when we wanna be and we’re not when we don’t,” Paulson added.

When asked if she and Taylor, 81, would consider having separate rooms, rather than living in different houses, the American Horror Story star clarified that they still often share a bed, noting they “fall asleep holding hands”.

“I like to sleep near her. I don’t want to be around her the rest of the time,” she quipped about her and Taylor having their space, before adding: “Just kidding.”

She also explained how she and Taylor had different experiences when dating, noting that the Two and Half Men alum had never previously been in “a long-term relationship” before Paulson. That wasn’t the case for Paulson, however, as she said that before dating Taylor, she’d been in two previous relationships that lasted more than five years.

The Ocean’s 8 star went on to describe how living in separate houses has been beneficial for both her and her partner.

“And so, her life, and to get to be her age and sort of not having really cohabitated with someone for a long time,” she explained. “I think it was a lot to sort of all of a sudden have me and all my neediness in her space.”

When the longtime couple went public with their romance in December 2015, they quickly raised eyebrows for their 31-year age gap. However, Paulson and Taylor have still continued to open up about their relationship and how happy they are together.

Paulson has also previously opened up about why she felt like the romance was meant to be. During an appearance on The View in November, she revealed that she’d met Taylor long before they started dating. “I actually had her picture on my refrigerator for 10 years before we were together, which sounds strange,” she explained.

She recalled how she was at dinner with Taylor, actor Allison Janney, and the late screenwriter Buck Henry when the actors posed on top of a Lamborghini parked outside of the restaurant. Henry then snapped the picture and sent them all copies of the photo. “It was on my refrigerator in my little apartment in West Hollywood for 10 years,” Paulson said. “There she was in my kitchen.”

When asked by TV host Joy Behar if she had a crush on Taylor at the time, Paulson acknowledged that she didn’t but admitted that “maybe something was percolating and it was unbeknownst to me”.

The Ratched star also described how her relationship with Taylor has helped her become a better person. “I am thrilled and feel very lucky to be with a person who is smarter, wiser, wittier than I,” Paulson said, before adding that the Legally Blonde star “just makes my life better in every possible way”.

“[She] helps me want to be a better person and a more realised person and she just also makes me feel seen, which I think is the most important gift you can give to any person,” Paulson added.