Holland Taylor and Sarah Paulson Spend Much of Their Time Together but Live in Separate Homes — and Paulson Has Explained the Reason

Holland Taylor and Sarah Paulson have been together for more than a decade, yet they maintain separate homes despite spending much of their time together.

More than 10 years into their relationship, Holland Taylor and Sarah Paulson have maintained an unconventional living arrangement. Taylor has explained how it works, but Paulson's account offers a closer look at the reasons behind it.

Paulson and Taylor Had Different Relationship Histories

Before dating Taylor, Paulson had been engaged to actor and playwright Tracy Letts. In a September 2019 interview with C Magazine, she recalled being 24 when they were engaged. "We loved each other, it just didn't work out," Paulson said.

She also spoke warmly about Letts, his wife, actress Carrie Coon, and their child. Although the engagement ended, Paulson said she continued to have affection for them.

Paulson also dated actress Cherry Jones for approximately four years. Jones publicly confirmed their separation. "We're not together anymore, but we're still dearest of friends," Jones told Us Weekly, according to an October 9, 2009, UPI report.

Jones described the breakup as amicable. She said they had grown together during their relationship and could part with affection. The actress also discussed her experience of being single after years of relationships.

"I love being on my own for the first time in my adult life," Jones said. "I highly recommend it. I may never be in another relationship as long as I live. I love deepening my friendships, and I like being on my own."

Taylor, meanwhile, has generally kept details of her previous relationships private. In an August 2020 interview with The Advocate, she recalled being approximately 29 or 30 when she had her first relationship with a woman.

Taylor did not identify that former partner. Instead, she explained why she had rarely discussed her romantic life in interviews.

"Well, I'm a very private person, just generally," Taylor said. "I would be no matter what my life was, but I was not private in the sense of hiding."

She explained that her relationships were not something she had felt compelled to discuss publicly. "It would never have occurred to me to talk about my personal life in an interview anyway," Taylor said.

She also recalled that questions about her relationships rarely came up as her acting career developed. Taylor acknowledged that she had not been in a relationship for a long time before her romance with Paulson became public.

Years later, Paulson would refer to their different relationship histories when discussing why they maintained separate homes.

A Chance Meeting Led to a Twitter Conversation

Paulson and Taylor knew each other years before they started dating. During a January 2019 appearance on "Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen," Paulson recalled meeting Taylor while both were involved with other people.

"It's a long story. We met a very, very long time ago. I was with someone else and she was too," Paulson told host Andy Cohen and fellow guest Billy Eichner.

The actresses had crossed paths at Martha Plimpton's home while participating in a public service announcement for an organization Plimpton supported.

Their first interaction was brief, but they later reconnected through social media. "We sort of breezed by each other and then started following each other on Twitter," Paulson recalled.

Eichner then asked whether Taylor had initiated their private conversation by sending Paulson a direct message. "She actually did!" Paulson replied.

According to People, Paulson later explained that they eventually arranged a dinner date after exchanging messages. They began dating in 2015. That same year, Taylor spoke about the relationship during an appearance on WNYC's Death, Sex & Money podcast.

According to the same outlet, Taylor described her relationship with Paulson as one of the most extraordinary things to happen in her life.

Taylor Addressed Marriage and Their 34-Year Age Difference

During an August 2024 appearance on SiriusXM's "Andy Cohen Live," Taylor discussed her relationship with Paulson and answered a question about marriage.

When Cohen asked whether they planned to marry, Taylor gave a brief response. "I don't think so," she said. Taylor then explained how the subject had come up between them. "We've never... no. We've never talked about it with any interest. It doesn't seem to mean to us what it means to a lot of people."

The actress also addressed their 34-year age difference and expressed concern about what it could mean for Paulson. "I mean, we have a big generational difference between us, which worries me for her sake," Taylor said. "But, you know... what can I do?"

Taylor went on to describe the interests they share despite their different generations. "We do have a wonderful resonance," she said. "We are very interested in the same kinds of things, and yet we share big differences."

She also discussed how her own experiences help her understand situations Paulson encounters. Some of those situations remind Taylor of things she experienced decades earlier.

"A lot of the things that she's going through that are very emotional and important to her right now, I went through, you know, 40 years ago, 30 years ago," Taylor explained.

Taylor described how those memories influence her response to Paulson's experiences. "Of course this is hard. Of course, that's hard," she recalled thinking. "Or, 'Of course that's great. Of course, that's important to her.'"

Taylor shared additional thoughts about Paulson during her October 21, 2026, appearance on "The Drew Barrymore Show."

When host Drew Barrymore asked how long they had been together, Taylor estimated that they were approaching 12 years. The conversation then turned to Paulson's personality and her relationships with friends.

"She's really a fascinating person in many unexpected ways," Taylor said. Taylor particularly praised the effort Paulson puts into maintaining her friendships. "She is the most artful friend of anyone I've ever known," she said.

Taylor noted that friendships require time and attention. She described Paulson as someone with several close, devoted friends who make an effort to maintain their connections.

She also praised the time Paulson spends with people she loves, including the things she does for them and her willingness to be present in their lives.

During that same television appearance, Taylor also answered a question about a different aspect of their relationship: where they live.

Taylor Revealed How Their Living Arrangement Works

Barrymore asked Taylor whether it was true that she and Paulson did not live together.

"Is it true also that you guys don't live together?" Barrymore asked. Taylor explained that their work schedules frequently require them to be in different places. "Well, we do as much time as we possibly can because work takes us apart constantly," she said.

The actress then described how they arrange their stays in New York and Los Angeles. Taylor has an apartment in New York where Paulson stays when she visits. When both actresses are in the city, they stay together at the apartment.

Their situation in Los Angeles involves separate properties as well. Taylor said she has her own house, while Paulson has a new home that she had not yet moved into.

Taylor summed up how their schedules affect the time they spend together. "So, we're together as much as geography and our jobs let us be," she said.

Paulson Explained Why They Maintain Separate Homes

In May 2024, Paulson appeared on the SmartLess podcast, hosted by Jason Bateman, Sean Hayes, and Will Arnett. During the conversation, she confirmed that she and Taylor maintained separate residences.

"Yeah, we don't live together. That's the sort of secret," Paulson said. She then clarified that the arrangement did not prevent them from spending time together. "Holland and I, we spend plenty of time together, but we don't live in the same house."

Paulson described how they approach the time they spend in each other's company. "I mean, we've been together for a long time now, and I think part of it has to do with we're together when we want to be, and we're not when we don't," she explained.

The podcast hosts questioned why the couple did not simply share a house while keeping separate bedrooms.

Paulson responded by discussing how she and Taylor sleep when they are together. "We fall asleep holding hands," she said. She added that she likes sleeping near Taylor and joked about preferring more distance during the daytime.

Paulson explained why she considered that difference important when thinking about sharing a home.

"Holland, before me, hasn't been in a ton of long-term relationships, whereas Holland is my third," she said. "I tend to do that and have more experience doing that, Holland hasn't. So to get to be her age and sort of not having really cohabited with someone for a long time - I think it was a lot to sort of have me and all my me-ness in her space."