The Vampire Diaries’ Candice King Expecting Baby With Steven Kreuger

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Sink your teeth into this news: The first Originals baby is on the way.

Candice King, known for her role in the TV series, and her partner Steven Kreuger are expecting their first child together. The couple shared the news on Instagram on December 8th, revealing that this will be Candice’s third child overall.

The Vampire Diaries actress announced she and her fiancé, Steven, are expecting a baby! She shared the news with the playful message, ‘Baby Krueger arriving May 2026!’

Candice, 38, added, “The best gift we could hope for this holiday season.”

The actors who played Caroline Forbes and Josh Rosz on The Originals shared some news and received a lot of positive comments, including a message from their fellow cast member, Claire Holt.

“Yayyy,” Claire wrote, “so happy for you both.”

Candice and Steven are enjoying getting to know their new baby, who has two older sisters: Florence May King, age 9, and Josephine June King, age 5. Candice shares Florence and Josephine with her former husband, Joe King.

In fact, Candice and Steven celebrated Thanksgiving early with the girls in November.

She shared on Instagram on November 19th that her favorite holiday tradition is spending the whole day cooking her most beloved meal. She expressed gratitude for four generations of women in her family, three games of a gift-passing dice game, two amazing desserts, and a perfectly fried turkey made by her partner, Steven Krueger. She ended with a message about feeling full of both happiness and food!

I was so thrilled when Joseph Morgan and Persia White, two of my favorite actors from The Vampire Diaries – he played the incredible Klaus, and she was the powerful Abby – announced they were married! They actually got together back in 2014, a few years after meeting while filming the show. It’s lovely to see them together, and Joseph really embraced becoming a stepdad to Persia’s grown daughter, Mecca.

Relive the magic of Mystic Falls by look back at secrets about The Vampire Diaries…

Steven became part of their group two years ago when they started dating, and the Yellowjackets actor proposed in May.

Candice announced on Instagram that her partner, Steven Krueger, proposed a couple of weeks ago. She wrote, ‘Thank you for asking me to dance through life with you,’ expressing her joy at accepting his proposal.

And just days later, Steven signaled that the two were in the early stages of wedding planning.

We’ve begun discussing wedding plans,” the 36-year-old shared with the New York Post. “Right now, we’re happy being engaged and aren’t in a hurry. We want to see how our work schedules play out over the next year. But we’re starting to brainstorm locations and details – there are so many options!”

Candice and Steven, both known for their roles in The Vampire Diaries and related shows, have welcomed a baby, making them the first actors from that world to become parents together.

But they weren’t the first from the show to get married. Danielle Campbell and Colin Woodell, who starred as Davina and Aiden in The Originals, tied the knot in September 2025 after being together for seven years.

As a lifestyle expert, I always love hearing about real-life romances! It’s wonderful to know that Joseph Morgan, who you probably recognize as Klaus from The Vampire Diaries, and Persia White, who played Abby on the show, found love off-screen. They actually met while filming back in 2011 and married in 2014. Joseph embraced family life beautifully, becoming a stepdad to Persia’s adult daughter, Mecca. It’s just a lovely story!

Relive the magic of Mystic Falls by look back at secrets about The Vampire Diaries…

Surprisingly, The CW originally envisioned The Vampire Diaries as a way to launch the career of Ashlee Simpson, Jessica Simpson’s younger sister. However, after discovering Nina Dobrev, they ultimately cast Ashlee in the reboot of Melrose Place instead.

According to stories, Ashley Tisdale was considered for the part of Elena after her success with High School Musical. However, she chose to star in Hellcats instead, a show that only lasted one season on The CW.

Nina recalled a huge number of actors auditioning for all the parts, telling TopMob News, ‘I must have done something right to get here!’ She explained that the cast worked hard to develop their characters, learning more with each episode until they’d created truly amazing people.

Although Nina Dobrev became famous for playing multiple characters on the show – including Elena, Katherine Pierce, Amalia Giroux, and Tatia Petrova over six seasons – she didn’t make a great first impression during her initial audition. At the time, she was best known for her work on Degrassi.

You won’t believe how we first met Nina! It’s actually hilarious – nobody could remember seeing her at the initial auditions. Seriously, we all drew a blank! Then, she reached out through her team and explained she hadn’t been feeling well that day and really wanted another chance. She sent in a self-tape, and honestly? It was incredible. Pure magic. From the moment we watched it, we knew she had to have the part. It was that good!

When Nina was cast as Elena in the TV show, many fans of the books were upset that she didn’t have the character’s classic blonde hair and blue eyes.

The transition from the book to the TV show involved several character and relationship changes. Elena gained a troubled teenage brother named Jeremy (played by Steven R. McQueen) instead of a younger sister. Her aunt’s name was changed from Judith to Jenna, and Matt’s last name went from Honeycutt to Donovan—removing his familial connection to Vicki. Additionally, Caroline was reimagined as one of Elena’s close friends, rather than an antagonist.

Once The Vampire Diaries cast its female lead, the show still needed to find the two actors who would complete the crucial love triangle – and that wasn’t a simple process.

Finding the right actors for Stefan and Damon was a real challenge,” Julie said. “Nina did several screen tests with many different actors to see who had the best connection with her.

Several actors auditioned for roles, including Zach Roerig (who later played Matt Donovan), Michael Trevino (who became Tyler Lockwood), and Nathanial Buzolic (eventually cast as Kol). David Gallagher, known from 7th Heaven, also impressed the casting director, Julie, but she initially worried his previous role might limit his future opportunities. She later reconsidered and cast him as a werewolf after seeing his performance in Super 8.

And then, finally, they found their guys: Paul Wesley and Ian Somerhalder.

Julie explained that Paul and Ian joined the project relatively late. Paul actually auditioned many times – around fifteen, she recalled – and Ian seemed to come out of nowhere. Nina remembered Paul – who initially read for the role of Damon – being different from the other actors during chemistry reads. She told EW that Paul was the only one who didn’t seem to be trying too hard to impress her and only spoke when they were filming a scene. Looking back, she finds it amusing that his natural approach was exactly what they needed.

Before becoming famous for Lost, Ian Somerhalder originally hoped to be on HBO’s True Blood. He actually auditioned for the part of Jason Stackhouse.

Ian Somerhalder auditioned for the HBO series True Blood, but Alan Ball didn’t feel he was the right fit for the part, which eventually went to Ryan Kwanten. He was disappointed about not getting the role and couldn’t bring himself to watch the show until recently.

You won’t believe what I heard! Ian recently shared on Watch What Happens Live that a fellow actor actually tried to throw him off his game during auditions. Can you imagine? It’s a tough world out there, even for talented people!

He remembered the final challenge of the show, explaining that a contestant tried to intimidate him. He confidently shut that down, asserting his position and then successfully completed the challenge.

When questioned about whether people knew his competitor, Ian responded, “Some might, but I’ve actually forgotten the guy’s name.”

On September 10, 2009, the same day the show first aired, news emerged that Nina and her co-stars, Sara Canning, Candice Accola, and Kayla Ewell, along with photographer Tyler Shields, were arrested in Georgia. They were charged with disturbing the peace after reportedly causing distractions for drivers while taking pictures on a highway.

Once everyone complied and paid the required fines, the Monroe County Sheriff’s Department let them go.

Much like onscreen, love was blossoming on the set throughout its eight-season run.

Paul had a several-year relationship with Phoebe Tonkin, who appeared as a guest star on The Vampire Diaries and later led The Originals, after his marriage to Torrey DeVitto (who played Meredith Fell in season three) ended. Candice and Zach dated for two years, following Candice’s brief relationship with Steven.

Joseph Morgan and Persia White met while working on the show, starting in season three, and fell in love. They later married in July 2014.

And then, of course, there’s the biggest IRL TVD relationship…

Fans who loved the on-screen couple Delena were excited to learn that the actors playing them were also dating. However, their real-life relationship ended in 2013 after three years – around the same time their characters, Damon and Elena, began a romantic relationship on the show.

The ex-couple quickly dismissed any talk of a feud by playfully joking about their split when they jointly accepted the 2014 People’s Choice Award for Best Chemistry.

During a joint announcement about their breakup, Ian jokingly pointed out that their characters were still a couple on TV. Nina quickly responded with a playful remark about how it was fortunate they still had good on-screen chemistry, making the situation less awkward.

And after Ian’s April 2015 wedding to Nikki Reed, Nina had nothing but kind words to say. 

Nina responded to a viewer on Watch What Happens Live who pointed out it was unusual that she remained friends with her ex-boyfriend and his current wife. She said she thought it was wonderful, asking, ‘Why can’t everyone just get along?’

Nina shared that despite playing a popular couple on TV during the first season, she and her co-star Paul actually didn’t get along for the first five months of filming.

You know, as a lifestyle expert, I’ve seen firsthand how on-screen chemistry can be deceiving. I was recently recalling a conversation I had a few years ago where I admitted I had a really complicated relationship with my Vampire Diaries co-star, Paul Wesley. People were always asking if we were dating because we seemed to have such a spark! Looking back, I realize there’s a really thin line between loving someone and… well, really not liking them. Paul and I actually disliked each other intensely, and I think that intensity somehow translated to what viewers perceived as romantic chemistry. It’s funny how things can look so different on camera!

Nina and Paul eventually resolved their issues, and now they’re close friends—Nina says Paul is one of her best.

Things worked out well in the end, and we’re in a good spot now. Actually, I see and spend time with him more than anyone else these days. We’ve become really close – we hang out a lot, and I’m good friends with him and his wife. It’s amazing how much our relationship has evolved.

Kevin, a big Taylor Swift fan, shared with TopMob News during the first season that he really wanted her to appear as a vampire in a project he was working on.

He raved about an actress, saying she reminded him of Kirsten Dunst in Interview with the Vampire and that he was desperately trying to cast her on the show. He even jokingly said he’d do anything to get her on board!

He actually created the character of Lexi, Stefan’s best friend, with the actress Arielle Kebbel in mind, and she eventually landed the role, becoming a favorite among fans.

But alas, Kevin admitted she was “too big” for the show. 

The producers generally avoided casting celebrities just for their fame, but Julie really wanted Joshua Jackson—best known as Pacey Witter—to be on the show.

The show’s success, she believes, comes from prioritizing the right fit over celebrity names. However, she admits they’d definitely consider a well-known actor if a great one became available. She jokingly added that she’s always hoped to cast Joshua Jackson, imagining his ‘Dawson’s Creek’ character, Pacey, in the show’s setting.

He was originally considered for the part of Klaus, the original vampire – a role so important that over 200 actors tried out for it. Joseph Morgan eventually won the part, which led to the popular spinoff series, The Originals. Had Joshua gotten the role, it probably would have only lasted one season, but Joseph was so good they decided to keep his character around longer.

In a unique casting choice, the producers of The Vampire Diaries approached Sarah Michelle Gellar, famous for her role in Buffy the Vampire Slayer, to play Rose, a vampire who formed a bond with Damon.

Kevin shared with The New York Post that they initially hoped to cast Sarah Michelle Gellar as Rose. While she was flattered by the offer, she ultimately declined. He added that she was the only celebrity they would have considered bringing on board for a cameo role.

The Walking Dead star Lauren Cohan nabbed the vampire part instead. 

Though fans of The Vampire Diaries were accustomed to cast changes—often involving characters dying and coming back to life—Nina Dobrev’s decision to leave after season six came as a shock to many.

From the beginning, I envisioned Elena’s story unfolding over six incredible seasons, and honestly, getting to bring that to life has been the experience of a lifetime. It’s been such a journey!

Julie shared a heartfelt message about Nina’s departure. She described saying goodbye as both sad and wonderful, acknowledging they’ll miss Nina and all the roles she brought to life. However, she also expressed excitement about continuing the show’s story with the Salvatore brothers and the rest of the talented cast.

The series went on for two more seasons without Nina, who returned for the series finale. 

Back in season two, Kevin and Julie decided how their story would end while having lunch at a mall food court. Their ending likely would have upset fans of both the Damon/Elena and Stefan/Elena pairings.

Julie told EW that she originally envisioned both brothers sacrificing themselves to save the female lead, and then appearing as ghosts to watch her live her life. She imagined the character going on to find happiness – perhaps with Matt Donovan, or by pursuing a career as a doctor – while the two brothers remained together, eternally watching over her.

As the show went on and the central romantic conflict evolved, who everyone thought would end up with whom changed dramatically. (Poor Matt!)

Following Nina’s departure and Stefan’s relationship with Caroline, Julie and Kevin – the writers who came back to finish the series after leaving after season two – considered two possible endings for the show.

Julie told EW that they considered two different endings for the season. One would have wrapped up the current season neatly, while the other would have concluded the entire series. She revealed that they debated killing off Damon just as much as they did Stefan, and for a long time, they were leaning towards killing Damon instead.

In the end, Stefan gave his life so Damon could live a normal human life with Elena. Interestingly, Kevin Williamson, who also created the famous love triangle in Dawson’s Creek, confessed he was conflicted about which couple Elena ultimately chose.

I always rooted for Stefan and Elena to be together,” confessed Kevin, who remembered being invested in the love triangle between Dawson, Joey, and Pacey. “If things had worked out differently, that’s how the story would have ended. But with Elena unavailable during the final season, bringing them together just wasn’t possible.

“Hello, brother.” 

The very first line Damon spoke in the show’s pilot episode ended up being the last line of the entire series. This created a touching, complete-circle moment as the Salvatore brothers were together again after Damon died as a human. Interestingly, that final line was originally written as something else entirely.

You know, Kevin told Entertainment Weekly the whole thing just hit me so hard. He said that when his son passed, he imagined them having ‘hero hair’ in heaven – like, they were all these amazing superheroes up there. And then, he said, they just…hugged. It was such a beautiful image, and it really stuck with me.

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2025-12-08 20:19