Michaela Jaé Rodriguez’s Character in ‘AHS: Delicate’ Explained: Who Is Nicolette?

Michaela Jaé Rodriguez has re-teamed with Ryan Murphy for American Horror Story: Delicate, following her turn in the acclaimed FX series Pose — which earned her a Golden Globe win and a Primetime Emmy nomination.

The anthology series returned Apr. 3 to air the second half of the season after going on hiatus in October 2023.

In the first five episodes, Rodriquez is introduced as Nicolette, the house manager of the property where rising star Anna Victoria Alcott (Emma Roberts) is staying with her husband.

Nicolette rocks a stylish bob and offers her help to Anna, despite the strange energy she brings. The character is a new mother, which initially interests Anna as she is struggling through her pregnancy.

But Part 1 also shows Nicolette “unknowingly” delivering Anna threatening gifts and appearing during intense sequences, such as when Anna finds a dead raccoon covered in maggots on the property’s porch.

The latest episodes turn up the drama and tease Nicolette as a key player in whatever Satanic baby-stealing cult is haunting Anna. Need a recap of who Nicolette is and how she’s connected to Anna? Here’s everything we know ahead of Episode 8, which is set to air on April 17, 2024.

Who is Nicolette in American Horror Story: Delicate?

AHS: Delicate Part 2 dives into Nicolette’s backstory, which explains her closeness to Anna. Unbeknownst to the pregnant woman, Nicolette was at the hospital when Anna’s mother died from a pulmonary embolism shortly following Anna’s birth. During a flashback in Episode 6, “Opening Night,” Nicolette appears as a nurse who sings a lullaby to the upset infant while Anna’s father is grieving his late wife in the hospital.

In Episode 7, Nicolette is confirmed as a member of the cult that’s haunting Anna and her unborn child. Ivy — played by scene-stealer Cara Delevingne — is introduced in Part 1 as Anna’s untrustworthy nurse, who the pregnant woman suspects injured her during an examination, but is also part of the cult. Additionally, Ivy is the mother of Anna’s problematic husband’s late wife Adeline Harding and her twin sister, both played by Annabelle Dexter-Jones.

Adeline spent her adulthood trying to escape the cult, but the same people who have been following Anna were also following her and taunting her for her nonconformist views. Nicolette is briefly shown to be one of them.

In a flashback scene, Adeline is confronted by Nicolette in the restaurant that she owns. “Leave me the fuck alone, all of you,” Adeline tells the unwelcomed guest. “Get out of my restaurant.” Nicolette warns her, “You are going to regret saying that.” The former cult member responds, “The only thing I regret is not leaving sooner.”

Nicolette continues to caution Adeline against leaving the cult, expressing that she’s “brave” to try living outside of the cult. “Are you even happy with him? You don’t even love him, do you? One more thing, they miss you,” Nicolette tells Adeline while revealing a handful of teeth. “They are growing up so fast. You don’t want to keep your baby’s teeth as a keepsake?”

Nicolette clearly has a deeper connection to Anna than previously established. Perhaps the final two episodes will deliver some much-needed answers!

American Horror Story: Delicate airs Wednesdays on FX, and streams next-day on Hulu.