Danielle Spencer (The Bold and the Beautiful)

In April 2012, it was announced that Crystal Chappell – who had not appeared on daytime television since being let go from another soap opera, Days of Our Lives, in 2011 – had been cast as Danielle Spencer for The Bold and the Beautifuls first same-sex storyline. The soap's executive producer, Bradley Bell, called Chappell about the role and she was interested. Chappell continued making appearances as Danielle in 2012 and later reappeared on January 4, 2013, along with Johnson. Chappell made an additional appearance as Danielle on October 14, 2013. ==Creation and development==

Danielle and Karen Spencer (Joanna Johnson) are the first lesbian characters to appear on The Bold and the Beautiful. Bell then asked Johnson whether she would be okay with that storyline, who was "very excited". The couple move to Los Angeles and Danielle interviews for a job for Karen's half-brother, Bill Spencer Jr. (Don Diamont). As viewers and characters were finding out that Karen is gay and with Danielle, Johnson herself publicly came out as gay, revealing that she had kept her sexual identity a secret whilst working in Daytime as she believed that she would no longer be employed or be "believable" in romance stories. In July 2012, it was reported that the "broader story" for Danielle and Karen would be "refocused" due to Johnson being unavailable to film more episodes for The Bold and the Beautiful as she was busy with other projects. However, it was confirmed that Chappell would remain as Danielle, with a The Bold and the Beautiful spokesperson saying that viewers "can look forward to continue seeing more of Caroline's other mom, Dani". ==Storylines==

Danielle is a journalist who met Karen Spencer (Joanna Johnson at a party in New York. They begin a romance, which is disapproved of by Karen's father, Bill (Jim Storm), who makes her keep it a secret as he does not want it to the damage the company, Spencer Publications. Karen and Danielle eventually marry and years later, they move to Los Angeles with their daughter, Caroline. Danielle interviews for a job for Karen's half-brother, Bill Spencer Jr. (Don Diamont). Karen is determined to not reveal her sexuality and tells people that Danielle is her friend and roommate. After some persuading, Danielle eventually tells Caroline's friend, Thomas Forrester (Adam Gregory), that Danielle is her partner and the other mother of Caroline. Thomas is supportive and apologises for asking about Caroline's father, but Danielle and Karen are happy that he wants to find out more about her daughter. Danielle and Karen become frustrated that Bill has not told Danielle the outcome of her job application. Bill's wife, Katie Logan (Heather Tom), later walks in on Karen and Spencer and tells them that she relieved that she can stop pretending that they are not a couple as she had been suspecting that they were. She encourages them to tell Bill Jr., but they are hesitant as they are worried that he will use it against her professionally. Danielle snaps at Katie when she questions why Karen allowed Bill Sr. to hide Danielle's existence. Danielle and Karen explain that Bill Sr. threatened to cut Karen off financially and that the decision almost broke their relationship. Danielle tells Karen that she believes that she made the right decision as the money gave Caroline a good life and great opportunities. With encouragement, Karen comes out to Bill Jr., who believes that Danielle has been flirting with him. To Karen's surprise, Bill is supportive and welcomes Danielle to the family. Danielle and Karen confront Bill after finding out that he pushed Caroline off a balcony, with Danielle revealing that she has seen Bill rely on alcohol on a number of occasions. Years later, Caroline goes to stay with Danielle and Karen and is hit by a car, so her two mothers look after her. ==Reception==

Ryan White-Nobles from TV Source magazine had mixed opinions about Chappell's casting, writing, "What? This is so random even for The Bold and the Beautiful. Smart move on B&B's part to hire Chappell but isn't this a little bit of typecasting? Kudos to the show for going forward with a same-sex storyline, especially after changing their minds about making Thomas gay. Chappell is a phenomenal actress with a major fanbase and would be a welcome addition to any soap opera. Kind of looking forward to this…a lot." Gwen Reyes from Fort Worth Star-Telegram believed that the storyline would be "controversial" and wondered how well the character would be accepted by fans, but added that she and her colleagues were excited to see Chappell in the "exciting new role". Reyes added that "a storyline dedicated entirely to the creation and development of a lesbian couple is a first time for the ratings-rich series". When it was reported in July 2012 that Johnson would be not able to film more episodes as Karen, Fairman questioned whether the soap should recast Karen, give Danielle a new female love interest or "give the mighty Chappell a big story of her own". Charlie Mason and Dustin Cushman from Soaps She Knows put Karen and Danielle on their list of ''Daytime's Groundbreaking LGBTQ+ Characters and Couples but were disappointed with their lack of development, writing that "Unfortunately, an introduction to the couple was about all we got." In 2023, Cushman criticised The Bold and the Beautiful'' for its lack of LGBTQ+ representation – grading it lower than the other daytime soap operas – and commented on how the soap's only two gay characters, Danielle and Karen, "never really had a storyline of their own (not after Bill's sister was revealed to be a lesbian), haven't been seen in over a decade and may never appear again, considering that Caroline is dead". Trish Bendix from AfterEllen branded the storyline "The gay and the closeted", and wrote that due to hiding her sexuality and relationship, Karen missed the chance of laughing in Bill's "ignorant and conceited face" when he believed that Danielle was flirting with him, adding that Karen "almost" had it all. Bendix' colleague, Heather Hogan, wrote that she was "thankful" that Danielle was being introduced, and joked that she was praying to Sappho that "Danielle and Karen avoid the Bubonic Plague, falling meteors, speeding bullets, and every other daytime lesbian death-trap!" Jamey Giddens from Daytime Confidential called Danielle and Karen Katie's "Sapphic Sisters-in-law" and wrote that "Grrl power is in full effect today" after the three characters had successfully seized control of Spencer Publications. ==References==