As Caroline Forbes, Candice Accola King became a household name during the successful airing of the eight seasons of Vampire Diaries. She then went on to appear in more vampire shows, including The Originals and Legacies.
But she has been out of the public eye for quite some time, so fans are wondering what she is doing now and if she's stayed in touch with her fellow Vampire Diaries stars, especially after the drama behind the scenes and the alleged pay gaps between the stars.
Candice is most famous for playing Caroline Forbes on the show. Her character was the daughter of Mystic Falls's sheriff, who started off quite shallow and insecure, but then grew in her confidence, as well as on the audience, after she became a vampire.
Candice has played the role for eight seasons and has appeared in more episodes of Vampire Diaries than any other of the co-stars, including former lead Nina Dobrev, who after nearly missing getting cast, opted to leave the series early.
After becoming one of the two female leads in season 7, Candice went on to appear in all episodes of season 8.
Candice did not audition for the role of Caroline. Instead, she tried to get the part of Elena Gilbert, but the producers had different thoughts, and she won the role of Caroline Forbes instead.
She remained close to her co-stars years after the show ended, including Nina Dobrev, Ian Somerhalder, and Kat Graham.
Also, the show must have given her "a taste" for the vampire genre as she went on to star in more vampire shows.
Candice King loved her time on Vampire Diaries so much, she starred in The Originals and Legacies, two spin-offs of the show where she reprised her part as Caroline Forbes.
In The Originals, set in New Orleans, she has a troubled relationship with one of the main characters, Klaus, played by Joseph Morgan (who has since become a Titan). However, she is mostly absent from Legacies, only appearing for a longer time period in the series finale.
Talking about what she likes about playing a vampire, Candice said it is the stunts and playing make-believe. "My favorite thing about playing a vampire is the stunts. It's just a new, fun thing to do. I think it's a really fun, make-believe world to play," she said.
However, after playing Caroline Forbes in three separate shows for 13 years, Candice told Comic Con in 2022 that she was done with the character.
"I feel like my storyline just ended on Legacies, which is crazy after 13 years. It was really nice to kind of step back into Caroline's shoes and say goodbye for the last time. I was very happy," she said about the experience.
Through her friend and fellow Vampire Diaries star, Nina Dobrev, Candice met The Fray's Joe King in 2011 and got engaged to him two years later. The couple married in 2014, at the height of Vampire Diaries's fame.
Candice became a mom to Joe's two children from another relationship and the couple also had two children together. Ironically, the pair married in New Orleans, which would become the main location for her next show, The Originals.
However, things took a wrong turn after almost eight years of marriage, and in 2021, Candice filed for divorce. It is not known what exactly caused the divorce, as Candice used the common reason of "irreconcilable differences" in her filing.
Candice may have felt unsupported after the birth of her second child, having reportedly said that she needed help in the months following the pregnancy and likely suffered from postpartum depression. For his part, Joe purged his Instagram account of all pictures of his former wife.
It looks like Candice Accola King is taking a break from acting for now. In 2018, she started a podcast, "Directionally Challenged" with Kayla Ewell, one of her co-stars from Vampire Diaries. The podcast is still running, although the two hosts have changed the format to accommodate their busy lives as moms.
After her divorce from Joe King, Candice has remained single so far and fans are not sure whether she is currently seeing anyone. It is possible that she is taking it slowly and concentrating on her life as a divorced mom of two before jumping back into the dating fray.
Candice's career is also seemingly put on hold for now. Her latest project, Suitcase Killer: The Melanie McGuire Story, a made-for-TV movie, came out in 2022. She does not currently have any upcoming projects.
However, despite her hiatus, Candice is staying in touch with her friends from Vampire Diaries. She is particularly close to Nina Dobrev and Kayla Ewell and their husbands, having spent memorable occasions, like New Year's Eve parties in Vegas, with them. The friendship she enjoys with her former co-stars is likely to give Candice the boost she needs after her divorce and lead her to greener pastures.
