In real life, Neil Patrick Harris (Chester) is a talented magician. He once served as President of the Board of Directors of Hollywood's Academy of Magical Arts.
Jimmy, played by Evan Peters, states while in prison that he would take his chances with a public defender, rather then cut his hands off to pay for a lawyer. The public defender system wasn't started until 1963 in the Gideon v. Wainwright case. This episode takes place in 1952.
The two actresses playing lesbian lovers are both straight, while Neil Patrick Harris (Chester) and Sarah Paulson (Bette/Dot Tattler), who perform a hetero sex scene, are openly gay and bisexual, respectively.
Oddly, Chester Creb's (Neil Patrick Harris) U.S. Army uniform does not have a Purple Heart ribbon, which is awarded for being wounded in combat. It does show he was a soldier with the 1st Infantry Division who received a Bronze Star. It is unknown if this was an oversight by the costume designer, or if Creb lied about receiving a serious head wound to account for his growing insanity.
The first American Horror Story episode to feature Neil Patrick Harris. Neil portrays the character Chester Creb.