You may know Joanna Johnson if you’ve seen The Bold and the Beautiful on CBS. She played Caroline Spencer Forrester (and her twin Karen) during her tenure on the show, marking herself as one of the best actresses featured on this long-running soap. Johnson also boasts writing and producing credits. She created the ABC sitcom Hope & Faith. It ran for three seasons and was moderately successful. Plus, she is an executive producer and writer for The Fosters — a very popular show hosted on Freeform.
This actress came out as gay back in 2012, following a string of reveals started by Ellen DeGeneres back in 1997. She was initially hesitant to reveal her sexuality, citing career concerns. However, in modern society one’s sexuality has little bearing on their acting career. Plus, Johnson looks so much happier these days — like a thousand pounds of stress have been lifted off of her shoulders. Joanna Johnson is a convincing actress, efficient producer, and brilliant writer. However, most people don’t know too much about this talented woman. If you want to get to know the mind behind many episodes of The Fosters, read on to learn Five Things You Didn’t Know about Joanna Johnson.
She’s a Published Musician
In 1993, Joanna Johnson was acting as Karen Spencer on The Bold and the Beautiful. What you might not know is that she also spent some time in the studio. In fact, she recorded a full-length album of pop music, that was published by Sony Music Entertainment Oy — the Finnish branch of the entertainment company. The album did not have much commercial success, unfortunately, but the music itself wasn’t bad. However, if she her songwriting career had taken off we might never have gotten her unique touch on The Fosters.
She Married in 2008
Though same-sex marriage is now legal in all 50 states, per a 2015 decision by the Supreme Court, it was illegal in most states in 2008. However, California legalized gay marriage for about four months (the decision was later reversed). She and her fiancée (club promoter Michelle Agnew) rushed to get their marriage license, but almost were unable to find someone to actually perform the ceremony. Luckily, they were chosen by random chance from a huge pool of same-sex couples to get married in court.
Her Show Resembles Her Life
Joanna Johnson’s personal life bears some striking similarities with The Fosters. The show features a lesbian couple who have adopted children of different races. Joanna and Michelle have also adopted kids of multiple races (and are, of course, a married couple). Johnson isn’t afraid to admit that she lets her own life intermingle with The Fosters when she writes episodes. So, every time you watch the show you are getting a little glimpse of the reality of this kind of life.
She is a Mentor for Young Actresses
During her time writing (and producing) Freeform’s Make It Or Break It, Joanna Johnson helped the young actresses with struggles that she knew herself. She helped them to overcome their insecurities, gave them real-world advice on making it in show business, and gave them excellent, career-building opportunities via depth of writing. She expresses a lot of admiration for these girls — and they couldn’t have a better teacher.
She Played in the First Same-Sex Couple on The Bold and the Beautiful
After her original character died from leukemia, Johnson returned to the soap as her twin sister, Karen Spencer. She originally played this role from 1991 to 1994, and reprised it in 2011. During her last story arc, she and Danielle (played by Crystal Chappell) engaged in the first same-sex romance shown by the show. This show has been on the air since 1987, so this is no small feat. The couple was well-received, and helped Johnson feel a little more comfortable in her role — and in her public coming-out in 2012.
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