Sarah Paulson says she had photo of girlfriend Holland Taylor on fridge before they started dating

Sarah Paulson has revealed how her relationship with Holland Taylor was destined to be.

During an appearance on The View on 21 November, the 48-year-old actor opened up about her long-term partnership with the Two and a Half Men star, 80. “I actually had her picture on my refrigerator for 10 years before we were together, which sounds strange,” Paulson told The View panelists Whoopi Goldberg, Joy Behar, Sunny Hostin, Sara Haines, and Alyssa Farah Griffin.

The American Horror Story alum explained 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 co-host Behar if she had a crush on Taylor at the time, the Emmy winner maintained that she didn’t but admitted that “maybe something was percolating and it was unbeknownst to me”.

The Ratched star went on to describe how her relationship with Taylor has helped make her 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 shared.

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 continued to gush over each both on social media and on the red carpet.

At the 74th annual Emmy Awards, Paulson and Taylor were praised as “couple goals” when fans noticed they seemed to be mouthing “you look beautiful” to each other on the red carpet. Speaking to E! News on the red carpet, the Ocean’s 8 star revealed that the awards ceremony was special because she was attending alongside her girlfriend.

“I’m here with Holland, my partner, whom I love. And that’s it!” Paulson said.

Although the pair have kept details about their relationship private, Taylor did reveal to People how their “very tight, close relationship” was strengthened during the Covid-19 pandemic. “Of course, Sarah and I didn’t need to be brought closer together,” she said in August 2020. “We have a very tight, close relationship within each other’s thoughts. We share everything that’s going on.”