Karen Spencer is a fictional character on the CBS soap opera, The Bold and the Beautiful. After Joanna Johnson's character Caroline Spencer Forrester was killed off the show, Karen was created to bring back Johnson to the Soap Opera. She first appeared In 1991 and remained until 1994. Johnson briefly returned to the role on April 28, 2009, and again in July 2011 for a several week brief story-arc. Johnson was announced to be returning to the series in March 2012 with her daughter, Caroline. In April 2012, it was announced that Crystal Chappell would join the cast of The Bold and the Beautiful as Caroline's "other" mother and Karen's wife, Danielle.