You’re right. Apologies for the long post but here's some background info. Joseph was genuinely interested in Klonnie and in Bonnie as a romantic option for Klaus. I can't upload the video, but I’m linking it. Here’s an old panel of Kat saying she caught Joseph watching Klonnie content on Tumblr on set. He was actually the first to mention wanting Bonnie on Klaus’ side. Here is another post of both Kat and Joseph encouraging Klonnie.
Joseph often said he and Kat got along really well, and Kat frequently praised him for being sweet. At recent con appearances, she mentioned how hard it was to see “Klaus” in him because he was always kind to her. She even told fans that Joseph stayed with her on set to read lines at 3am when she had no one else, and she once invited him to her family’s Thanksgiving. Despite what some fandom narratives suggest, Joseph and Kat were the close friends people often assume he was with Candice.
What you're wrong about is the reasoning behind Julie Plec and Caroline Dries shutting down Klonnie. It wasn’t about story. It was rooted in racism and a refusal to present Bonnie as desirable. They didn’t want to deepen interest in Bonnie beyond her existing fans.
Even in season 2, Klaus's connections to witches (which we learn about through Luka, Katherine, Isobel, and the Martins) set the stage for a natural bond with Bonnie. Greta even chose to stay with Klaus. Add in Jeremy cheating on Bonnie in season 3 and her growing distance from Elena and the Salvatores, and the setup for Klonnie made perfect sense.
Klonnie shippers were vocal enough to reach the actors, who later acknowledged the pairing. In response, Klaroline was created to silence Klonnie, romanticize Klaus, and lower Caroline’s moral standing to better align with Delena. Klaroline fans have claimed for over a decade it wasn’t made canon to avoid competing with Delena, but its purpose always seemed more strategic than romantic.
If you aren't aware Kat has said on the Driven Minds Podcast: that she believes decisions regarding Bonnie were based around her being a black woman (Storylines she'd get or not get, her hair, her clothes and the romantic choices she'd gotten.) If she were white the writing would've been different. On this podcast this was the first time Kat mentioned pay discrepancy which was being the lowest paid cast member for the first six years.
On a panel I shared here Kat is explaining how Bamon (and this applies to other Bonnie's ships) wouldn't have worked or came about because of racism. The only vampire Bonnie could date was Enzo because he was never as popular and loved as Damon (and the other male/female cast members.)
Kat and Joseph remain friends today and still speak highly of each other though. Fans reported on tiktok that they were excited to see each other and Joseph waited for Kat's lines to clear to see her/hug her. She has since liked this photo since reuniting.
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