‘American Horror Story’ Season 13 Sparks Backlash Over Its Jeffrey Dahmer Scene

‘American Horror Story’ has built its reputation on reuniting fan favorites and mixing fictional monsters with infamous real-life figures. That formula has delivered some of the show’s most talked-about moments over the years. It has also drawn criticism whenever the real people behind those figures are involved.

The thirteenth season, titled ‘AHS: 13,’ premiered on Sept. 24 on FX and Hulu with three episodes on opening night. The season has 13 half-hour episodes, and the second batch of three arrived after the first. Ryan Murphy assembled a returning cast that includes Sarah Paulson, Evan Peters, Angela Bassett, Kathy Bates, Emma Roberts, Billie Lourd, Gabourey Sidibe, Leslie Grossman and Jessica Lange.

Now one of those returns has become the center of a debate. The new season has drawn strong reactions from some viewers over how it portrays serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer. The title of its report quotes viewers as saying the show has no respect for the victims.

Dahmer is played by Seth Gabel, who first portrayed him in two episodes of ‘Hotel’ roughly a decade ago. Episode 6, ‘The Return of Devil’s Night,’ opens with Dahmer being picked up by James Patrick March, played by Peters. In the back of a Waymo, the two marvel at modern technology and talk about how apps make it easier for prey to come to them, then discuss their appetite for killing.

The sequence that bothered viewers most shows Dahmer browsing a dating app similar to Grindr, which is aimed at gay and bisexual men. Critics of the scene said it was disrespectful, pointing out that Dahmer was a real person who murdered 17 men and boys between 1978 and 1991. Many of his victims were Black or members of other minority communities.

At least one critic put the objection in plain terms. A review of the episodes said the gag turns a real man’s actual method of hunting real victims into a throwback bit, and that the show has not earned the right to that laugh. The same review called a separate joke about a smartphone and a historical killer harmless anachronism by comparison.

It is not the first time Murphy’s handling of Dahmer’s story has been questioned. His Netflix series ‘Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story,’ in which Peters played the killer, was also criticized when it arrived. Peters’ performance won a Golden Globe, and it drew an Emmy nomination.

Gabel has spoken about the challenge of returning to the role. He told Entertainment Weekly he was initially terrified because he had played the satirical version while Peters played the very real version of the character. He said playing Dahmer is incredibly dark, that he researched the history ahead of ‘Hotel’ and did not want to do that again for this season.

In the scene’s context, Gabel has described his take as a self-indulgent, depressed figure, which fits the season’s tone. The show treats the Devil’s Night killers as monstrous characters recruited to attack the witches at Miss Robichaux’s Academy. That tone clearly did not sit well with every viewer.

New promo for next week’s episodes of “American Horror Story: 13.” #AHS13 pic.twitter.com/lhb3hDkjXQ

— The AHS Zone (@AHSZone) October 2, 2026

With more episodes still to air before the season finale on Oct. 29, the conversation about how horror fiction should treat real victims is unlikely to fade. Whether the show responds, or simply continues, remains to be seen.

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