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American Horror Story Character Breakdown: Meet the Freaks
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Ethel Darling

  • Played by: Kathy Bates
  • Is she in the freak show? Yes
  • Who she is: Ethel is Jimmy's mother and also, obviously, The Bearded Lady. "Ethel is basically Elsa's right-hand woman," said Murphy. "She helps run the camp, and she's sort of the guardian of the law. She had a real tragedy in that she was a real circus star in the '20s and '30s and then she had her baby and she became a down-and-out drunk, and Elsa saved her." Supposedly, we'll be seeing flashbacks to young Ethel as well.
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