Sarah Paulson and Ella Beatty arrived together at the 2026 Tony Awards, turning a red carpet appearance into a public reminder of the friendship they built on Broadway.
The two actors posed at Radio City Music Hall on June 7, one year after Paulson won a Tony Award for Appropriate, the Branden Jacobs-Jenkins play that also marked Beatty’s Broadway debut.
TMZ reported that Paulson and Beatty held hands on the carpet and were photographed close together, while Paulson’s longtime partner, Holland Taylor, was not seen with her at the event.
The photos landed because Paulson and Beatty already have a documented stage connection. They shared the Broadway cast of Appropriate, and Paulson later interviewed Beatty for a profile built around their friendship.
Paulson and Beatty Arrived Together at the Tonys
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TMZ reported that Paulson and Beatty appeared together Sunday night at the 79th Annual Tony Awards and noted that the two had also attended the Tonys together the previous year.
The outlet also pointed out that Taylor was not visible with Paulson at the ceremony. Paulson and Taylor have been publicly linked since 2015, and TMZ reported that they attended the Vanity Fair Oscars Party together in March.
No checked source reported a split between Paulson and Taylor, and neither Paulson nor Taylor publicly suggested one in the coverage reviewed.
Their Friendship Started During Appropriate
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Playbill reported that Beatty made her Broadway debut when Appropriate transferred to the Belasco Theatre in March 2024.
Beatty replaced Elle Fanning in the role of River for the transfer engagement, joining a cast led by Paulson, Corey Stoll, Michael Esper, Natalie Gold, Graham Campbell, Alyssa Emily Marvin, Lincoln Cohen, and Everett Sobers.
The production gave Paulson one of the biggest stage honors of her career. She won the 2024 Tony Award for Best Actress in a Play for her performance as Toni Lafayette.
Paulson Later Interviewed Beatty About the Role
Their Broadway connection continued offstage in a 2025 Interview Magazine feature, with Paulson asking Beatty about acting, family legacy, and joining Appropriate.
Paulson said she did not know Beatty was the daughter of Warren Beatty and Annette Bening when she first read with her. She told Beatty that her interest in her work had “nothing to do with” her parents.
In the same conversation, Paulson said she and Beatty “fell in love” as friends while doing Appropriate. Beatty described working with Paulson every night and building that friendship as “magical and singular.”
Beatty Has Been Building Her Own Theater Career
Beatty entered Appropriate after appearing in Feud: Capote vs. The Swans, then continued working onstage after the Broadway run.
Interview Magazine noted that Hugh Jackman later cast Beatty opposite him in Sexual Misconduct of the Middle Classes at the Minetta Lane Theatre.
The Tony Awards appearance put Beatty back beside the co-star who helped introduce her to Broadway audiences, while Paulson returned to the ceremony as a recent winner with a new red carpet moment attached to that stage history.