Angelica Ross is leaving Hollywood behind, with plans to move into politics.
Last week, the Emmy-nominated actress made headlines for speaking up on social media about the alleged mistreatment she was subjected to on the Ryan Murphy-led show American Horror Story: 1984. According to Ross, AHS co-star Emma Roberts once deliberately misgendered her on the set of 1984 and, in a separate incident, she described getting yelled at by Murphy over the phone after tweeting about encountering racism on the set. (Roberts has reportedly called directly and apologized for her behavior, per Ross, and as she told The Hollywood Reporter, Murphy later apologized, saying, “I understand the work you’re doing, and I want to be your biggest champion.”)
Last Thursday, Ross posted on X (formerly Twitter) that she is “leaving Hollywood” and alluded to “multiple articles” coming out that would explain her decision further.
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One such article is a new interview with The Hollywood Reporter in which Ross explains that she is in the process of moving back to her home state of Georgia to prepare to run for political office. Before entering candidate and campaign training next month, she has consulted with politicians like former Georgia state representative Renitta Shannon and former Missouri State Representative Bruce Franks Jr.
“I’m fully walking away from Hollywood. But I’m always going to be who I am,” Ross told THR. “You don’t have to be on TV to be a creative person, to live a creative life.”
Outside of the political sphere, the multi-hyphenate already has plenty on her plate. Ross’ new single “Grand Theft Lover ‘Cheat Code,” which features rapper Mondaii, releases on September 29. And while she’s best known for her TV roles, Ross is also the founder of the TransTech Summit, which helps train and provide resources for trans tech professionals.
However, leaving Hollywood behind doesn’t mean Ross is done advocating for meaningful storytelling. Last week, the star attended GLAAD’s inaugural Black Queer Creative Summit and spoke with Them about the importance of Black queer and trans media.
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“We have not been sharing the fullness of our Blackness,” Ross said. “When some people get the keys, they’re only showing one very violent part of our story. So it’s important for women, Black queer people, Black trans people, to get into the seat and tell the stories.”
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