’American Horror Story’ Season 13 Sparks Outrage Over Its Jeffrey Dahmer Comeback

Ryan Murphy has never been shy about bringing back familiar faces, and the 13th season of ‘American Horror Story’ is shaping up to be one big reunion. The latest installment features returning stars like Sarah Paulson, Evan Peters, Angela Bassett, Kathy Bates, Emma Roberts, Billie Lourd, Gabourey Sidibe, Leslie Grossman, and Jessica Lange, many of them reprising multiple roles.

One of those returns, however, has struck a nerve. The sixth episode revived a character fans hadn’t seen in a decade: Seth Gabel’s version of Jeffrey Dahmer, whom the actor first played across 2 episodes of ‘American Horror Story: Hotel’ in 2015 and 2016.

The episode opens with Gabel’s Dahmer sitting in the back of a Waymo alongside Peters’ Mr. March, the hotel owner from ‘Hotel’ who used it to disguise his murders. Some viewers have slammed the scene, especially a moment in which Dahmer appears to browse a dating app similar to Grindr, with critics online calling it disgusting and accusing the show of disrespecting the victims.

Critics of the episode were quick to point out that Dahmer was a real serial killer, not a fictional villain. He murdered 17 men and boys between 1978 and 1991, and many of his victims came from Black and other minority communities.

The casting adds another layer of discomfort for some fans. Peters also played Dahmer in Murphy’s Netflix series ‘Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story’, a role that earned him a Golden Globe and an Emmy nomination, so the scene essentially places 2 versions of the killer side by side.

Gabel has opened up about how he approached returning to such a dark role. He said he was initially terrified about sharing the scene with Peters because he had played the satirical version of the character, while Peters had delivered a very real, award-worthy portrayal.

The actor also admitted that playing someone like Dahmer is incredibly dark and creepy. While he researched the real killer’s history before ‘Hotel’, he said he didn’t want to go through that again for season 13 because it would simply be too much.

Gabel added that his return caught him off guard. “It came out of nowhere; I had no idea what I was going to do,” he told TheWrap, explaining that Murphy’s guidance helped him shape the character as someone so wrapped up in his own feelings of despair that he ultimately just feels sorry for himself.

The first trailer for ‘AMERICAN HORROR STORY’ Season 13 has been released.

Releasing September 24 on FX & Hulu. pic.twitter.com/VYaDRBH6Oo

— DiscussingFilm (@DiscussingFilm) August 13, 2026

This isn’t the first time Murphy’s take on Dahmer has drawn criticism. When ‘Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story’ debuted on Netflix, family members of Dahmer’s victims spoke out against it, saying the series retraumatized them.

Rita Isbell, the sister of victim Errol Lindsey, said Netflix never contacted her about the show and described it as harsh and careless. She also criticized the idea of profiting from the tragedy while the victims’ children and grandchildren received nothing.

Because the case is a matter of public record, the creators weren’t required to notify or compensate the families. Still, a retired attorney who represented the families of 8 of Dahmer’s victims argued that the attention surrounding the Netflix series glamorized the killer and caused further trauma for those left behind.

The ‘AHS 13’ backlash taps into that same ongoing conversation about how real-life killers are portrayed on screen. For many viewers, mixing a real serial killer into a campy horror storyline with modern details like rideshares and dating apps crosses a line that the show’s satirical tone can’t justify.

Others see the anthology’s version of Dahmer as an exaggerated, darkly comic figure that’s clearly separate from Murphy’s more serious Netflix drama. Either way, the reaction shows that audiences remain deeply sensitive to how the victims’ memory is treated.

Have something to add? Let us know in the comments!