Also, Julie Plec reveals why Bamon never happened. Vampire Diaries boss reveals the real reason they killed Katherine in season 5 Also, Julie Plec reveals why Bamon never happened. By Samantha Highfill :maxbytes(150000):stripicc()/SamanthaHighfillauthorphoto0917254112e875604542d49744a27de908d183.jpg) Samantha Highfill Samantha Highfill is an executive editor at , where she's worked for more than 12 years covering television. EW's editorial guidelines August 18, 2021 9:00 a.m. ET Katherine Pierce was a staple of the Vampire Diaries universe.

Also, Julie Plec reveals why Bamon never happened.

Vampire Diaries boss reveals the real reason they killed Katherine in season 5

Also, Julie Plec reveals why Bamon never happened.

By Samantha Highfill

Samantha Highfill

Samantha Highfill is an executive editor at **, where she's worked for more than 12 years covering television.

EW's editorial guidelines

August 18, 2021 9:00 a.m. ET

Katherine Pierce was a staple of the *Vampire Diaries* universe. But at one point in the series, the writers had to fight to tell more of her story.

"We had to negotiate for the right to let Nina [Dobrev] play Katherine again because the season 2 Katherine [story] had really taken everything out of her and the network was being very protective," executive producer Julie Plec says about the show's fifth season during episode 5 of *EW's Binge: The Vampire Diaries*. "[The network] and studio were being very protective and they were like, 'You can't do that anymore, you can't have Katherine.'"

On an earlier episode of the podcast, Dobrev spoke about how exhausted she was at the end of season 2, the first season in which she played both Elena and Katherine in the present day. So when it came time to make Katherine human and even introduce a third Petrova doppelgänger, the writers had to get creative. "We had to basically beg the network to let us even write story for Katherine," Plec says, noting that "the triplegänger made the whole thing worth it."

Nina Dobrev as Katherine Pierce on 'The Vampire Diaries'. Tina Rowden/The CW

Fans will remember that season 5 featured Katherine taking over Elena's body, which meant that for a good chunk of the season, Dobrev only had one character to play. And then, eventually, Katherine met her demise, a decision that also came about following those negotiations. "I literally think we had to say we'll kill her in order to get permission to use her," Plec recalls.

Additionally, during the podcast, Plec discusses the choice to have Bonnie (Kat Graham) and Damon (Ian Somerhalder) be the two characters who "die" together at the end of season 5, which led to a discussion about Bamon, the popular ship. "Bonnie and Damon had a thing in the books we had sort of always said, 'We don't buy a romantic connection between Bonnie and Damon because Damon's just done too many terrible things and Bonnie just has more integrity than that,'" Plec says. "But we wanted to service that relationship in the canon a little bit."

For more about season 5—and the series overall—listen to the full episode below:

**To listen, subscribe to *EW's Binge: The Vampire Diaries* feed via Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts. You can also subscribe to EW's YouTube page to catch all the video interviews and stay tuned to EW.com.**

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- *Vampire Diaries* boss Julie Plec explains why Klaroline could never happen today

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Published: February 04, 2026 at 06:19PM on Source: MANUEL MAG

Vampire Diaries star Ian Somerhalder reveals why he was jealous of Chris Wood's Kai By Samantha Highfill :maxbytes(150000):stripicc()/SamanthaHighfillauthorphoto0917254112e875604542d49744a27de908d183.jpg) Samantha Highfill Samantha Highfill is an executive editor at , where she's worked for more than 12 years covering television. EW's editorial guidelines August 20, 2021 9:00 a.m. ET The Vampire Diaries creators have talked a lot about the importance of a great villain for the series, and in its later seasons, there was one villain that stood out among the rest: Kai Parker (Chris Wood).

Vampire Diaries star Ian Somerhalder reveals why he was jealous of Chris Wood's Kai

By Samantha Highfill

Samantha Highfill

Samantha Highfill is an executive editor at **, where she's worked for more than 12 years covering television.

EW's editorial guidelines

August 20, 2021 9:00 a.m. ET

The* Vampire Diaries* creators have talked a lot about the importance of a great villain for the series, and in its later seasons, there was one villain that stood out among the rest: Kai Parker (Chris Wood). Introduced in season 6, the sociopathic siphoner quickly became a favorite in the *TVD* fandom, and for Ian Somerhalder, whose Damon Salvatore was the series' first villain, Kai marked a significant shift for the show.

In episode 6 of *EW's Binge: The Vampire Diaries*, Somerhalder recalls his hesitation about Damon becoming a good — or at least better — guy in the show's third season. "I was so upset about the trajectory of Damon," Somerhalder says. "So much so that at one point I was sitting across from [executive producer] Julie [Plec] in her office in Atlanta almost in tears so angry about this."

Plec, along with her co-creator Kevin Williamson, explained that Damon couldn't be what they called a "one trick pony," that he was going to be the villain at times and the hero at others. But that's precisely why Somerhalder says he was jealous of what Chris Wood got to do as Kai in season 6. "That's why I was always so in love with what Chris Wood was doing on screen, because up until that moment, there was never a character in the show, other than Stefan in the Ripper age, that actually had the ability to not be so serious, to do horrific things but do it with a smile," Somerhalder says.

As far as Wood's inspiration for Kai, Wood, who's also on the podcast, says, "We talked about Ted Bundy if he was really funny. It was the worst person in the world who's also like maybe a good hang if you can get him to shut up for a second. That was sort of what I was always going for."

For more listen to the full podcast episode, featuring Somerhalder, Wood and executive producer Julie Plec, below:

**To listen, subscribe to *EW's Binge: The Vampire Diaries* feed via Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts. You can also subscribe to EW's YouTube page to catch all the video interviews, and stay tuned to EW.com.**

**Related content:**

- *Vampire Diaries* boss reveals the real reason they killed Katherine in season 5

- *Vampire Diaries* bosses on the 'controversial' sire bond and the role Pedro Pascal auditioned for

- *Vampire Diaries* boss Julie Plec explains why Klaroline could never happen today

- *Vampire Diaries* star Paul Wesley on Stelena's season 2 split: I was 'dealing with my own stuff' on screen

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Listen to the final episode of EW's Binge: Vampire Diaries podcast. Vampire Diaries bosses on casting Enzo as a Salvatore brother and Damon's fate in the finale Listen to the final episode of EW's Binge: Vampire Diaries podcast. By Samantha Highfill :maxbytes(150000):stripicc()/SamanthaHighfillauthorphoto0917254112e875604542d49744a27de908d183.jpg) Samantha Highfill Samantha Highfill is an executive editor at , where she's worked for more than 12 years covering television. EW's editorial guidelines August 27, 2021 9:00 a.m.

Listen to the final episode of EW's Binge: Vampire Diaries podcast.

Vampire Diaries bosses on casting Enzo as a Salvatore brother and Damon's fate in the finale

Listen to the final episode of EW's Binge: Vampire Diaries podcast.

By Samantha Highfill

Samantha Highfill

Samantha Highfill is an executive editor at **, where she's worked for more than 12 years covering television.

EW's editorial guidelines

August 27, 2021 9:00 a.m. ET

For *The Vampire Diaries* creatives, casting Enzo was a particularly difficult task. Because originally, the role was going to be very different.

"You were supposed to be the third Salvatore brother," executive producer Julie Plec tells star Michael Malarkey in episode 8 of *EW's Binge: The Vampire Diaries*. Writer Brett Matthews adds, "That was always the plan, and then it went a different direction, but that's why it was so hard to find the person. We thought it was going to be a Salvatore brother, so we cast a very wide net [and] looked very hard." Ultimately, they scrapped that plan and made it so Enzo didn't share Salvatore blood, but he was a brother figure for Damon (Ian Somerhalder) for many years (and he was sired by Lily Salvatore).

But that wasn't the only plan that changed in the writers' room over the years. In discussing the *Vampire Diaries*' final season, Plec and Matthews recall the final major debate: Which Salvatore were they going to kill in the series finale? "We went back and forth in the writers' room all season long," Plec says. "We finally landed on: We're killing Damon. That's the right thing to do. He is the one with the consequence to pay. Stefan was morally a bit stronger of a character."

Michael Malarkey as Enzo and Ian Somerhalder as Damon on 'The Vampire Diaries'. Annette Brown/The CW; Bob Mahoney/The CW

Matthews adds, "Damon's a fairly obvious choice," noting that the writers really fell in love with the idea of Damon compelling Stefan (Paul Wesley) to let him die. But when executive producer Kevin Williamson proposed that it should be Stefan that dies, they started to rethink their plan. "It felt like dying for Stefan freed him from a lot of weight, whereas it felt like living for Damon freed him to go and be the man that he was always supposed to be," Plec says.

Of course, both Salvatores were meant to die in the original ending Plec and Williamson came up with during the show's second season. In that ending, "The boys would sacrifice themselves to save Elena so that Elena could go and have a life and be human and live," Plec recalls during the podcast. "To save her, they would die together, and that was always the pitch. And then when Nina [Dobrev] left, it felt like the show can't be as much about protecting Elena's happiness, although that's important to us, but we want to protect the bothers' happiness, we want them to get something out of this. Then it shifted to: We can't kill both of them for her because that feels somehow like nobody got what they wanted. Let's find a different way to give one of these brothers the happiness that they need and the other brother the closure that they need."

(One other way Dobrev leaving changed the plan? Plec says, "I thought that by the time we came back to the end of the series, whenever it was, that Elena would've found her way back to Stefan and Damon would've found a different path.")

For more about the final season, listen to the full podcast episode below:

**To listen, subscribe to *EW's Binge: The Vampire Diaries* feed via Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts. You can also subscribe to EW's YouTube page to catch all the video interviews, and stay tuned to EW.com.**

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- *Vampire Diaries* star Ian Somerhaldher reveals why he was jealous of Chris Wood's Kai

- *Vampire Diaries* boss reveals the real reason they killed Katherine in season 5

- *Vampire Diaries* bosses on the 'controversial' sire bond and the role Pedro Pascal auditioned for

- *Vampire Diaries* boss Julie Plec explains why Klaroline could never happen today

- Sci-Fi & Fantasy Shows

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Published: February 04, 2026 at 06:19PM on Source: MANUEL MAG

Vampire Diaries writers and Candice King discuss the 'most bananas' season 7 twist By Samantha Highfill :maxbytes(150000):stripicc()/SamanthaHighfillauthorphoto0917254112e875604542d49744a27de908d183.jpg) Samantha Highfill Samantha Highfill is an executive editor at , where she's worked for more than 12 years covering television. EW's editorial guidelines August 25, 2021 9:00 a.m. ET Over the course of its eight seasons, The Vampire Diaries' mythology changed every now and then to fit a certain story.

Vampire Diaries writers and Candice King discuss the 'most bananas' season 7 twist

By Samantha Highfill

Samantha Highfill

Samantha Highfill is an executive editor at **, where she's worked for more than 12 years covering television.

EW's editorial guidelines

August 25, 2021 9:00 a.m. ET

Over the course of its eight seasons, *The Vampire Diaries*' mythology changed every now and then to fit a certain story. But in its seventh season, the show delivered its biggest change from its established mythology when, suddenly, Caroline (Candice King) became pregnant via a magical transfer. Even though she was a vampire, she was somehow carrying Alaric (Matthew Davis) and Jo's (Jodi Lyn O'Keefe) twins.

The twist was something the writers thought up as a way to soften the tragedy at the end of season 6 when Kai (Chris Wood) killed Jo and her unborn children—on her wedding day, no less. "We had always left that [story thread] hanging on instinct," writer Neil Reynolds says during episode 7 of *EW's Binge: The Vampire Diaries*.

Executive producer Julie Plec adds, "Because of the tragedy of the twins and Jo dying and looking for story for Alaric for the season, we had separately come up with the story of the woman who knocks on his door and is like, 'I think I'm pregnant with your babies.'" But the writers weren't sure if that twist was *too* crazy, so they didn't originally plan to go there. Until star Candice King called to let them know she was pregnant. "I was very nervous to make that call," King says on the podcast.

Candice King on 'The Vampire Diaries'. Bob Mahoney/The CW

Ultimately, the writers decided to work in King's pregnancy and use the aforementioned story, only instead of a random woman showing up pregnant, Caroline would carry Ric's kids. Plec remembers warning CW president Mark Pedowitz about "the most bananas thing" she was ever going to pitch him at the time, but surprisingly, he wasn't fazed. And thus Caroline's pregnancy became part of the series and will always go down as one of the show's most unexpected turns.

For more about season 7, listen to the full episode of the podcast below:

**To listen, subscribe to *EW's Binge: The Vampire Diaries* feed via Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts. You can also subscribe to EW's YouTube page to catch all the video interviews, and stay tuned to EW.com.**

**Related content:**

- *Vampire Diaries* star Ian Somerhalder reveals why he was jealous of Chris Wood's Kai

- *Vampire Diaries* boss reveals the real reason they killed Katherine in season 5

- *Vampire Diaries* bosses on the 'controversial' sire bond and the role Pedro Pascal auditioned for

- *Vampire Diaries* boss Julie Plec explains why Klaroline could never happen today

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Published: February 04, 2026 at 06:19PM on Source: MANUEL MAG

Today's NYT 'Strands' Hints, Spangram and Answers for Wednesday, February 4, 2026 Choya JohnsonFebruary 4, 2026 at 12:45 AM 0 Move over, Wordle, Connections, Connections Sports Edition, and Mini Crossword—there's a new NYT word game in town! The New York Times' recent game, "Strands," is becoming increasingly popular as another daily activity fans can find on the NYT website and app. With daily themes and "spangrams" to discover, this is the latest addictive game to cross off your todo list before a new one pops up 24 hours later.

- - Today's NYT 'Strands' Hints, Spangram and Answers for Wednesday, February 4, 2026

Choya JohnsonFebruary 4, 2026 at 12:45 AM

0

Move over, Wordle, Connections, Connections Sports Edition, and Mini Crossword—there's a new NYT word game in town! The New York Times' recent game, "Strands," is becoming increasingly popular as another daily activity fans can find on the NYT website and app.

With daily themes and "spangrams" to discover, this is the latest addictive game to cross off your to-do list before a new one pops up 24 hours later.

We'll cover exactly how to play Strands, hints for today's Spangram, and all of the answers for Strands #703 on Wednesday, February 4.

How to Play Strands

The New York Times (The New York Times)

According to the New York Times, here's exactly how to play Strands:

Find theme words to fill the board.

Theme words stay highlighted in blue when found.

Drag or tap letters to create words. If tapping, double-tap the last letter to submit.

Theme words fill the board entirely. No theme words overlap.

Find the "spangram."

The spangram describes the puzzle's theme and touches two opposite sides of the board. It may be two words.

The spangram highlights in yellow when found.

An example spangram with corresponding theme words: PEAR, FRUIT, BANANA, APPLE, etc.

Need a hint?

Find non-theme words to get hints.

For every three non-theme words you find, you earn a hint.

Hints show the letters of a theme word. If there is already an active hint on the board, a hint will show that word's letter order.

What Is Today's Strands Hint for the Theme: "For the enthusiast."

A hint for today's Strands game: In your spare time.

What Are Today's NYT Strands Hints?

Warning: Spoilers ahead!In today's puzzle, there are seven theme words to find (including the spangram). Here are the first two letters for each word:

HO(SPANGRAM)

NYT Strands Spangram Hint: Is It Vertical or Horizontal?

Today's Spangram is mostly horizontal.

NYT Strands Spangram Answer for February 3

Today's Spangram answer on Today's NYT 'Strands' Hints, Spangram and Answers for Wednesday, February 4, 2026, is HOBBYSHOP.

What Are Today's NYT Strands Answers, Word List for Wednesday, February 4? -

SPANGRAM:HOBBYSHOP

Related: Today's NYT 'Strands' Hints, Spangram and Answers for Tuesday, February 3, 2026

This story was originally published by Parade on Feb 4, 2026, where it first appeared in the Life section. Add Parade as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

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Published: February 04, 2026 at 01:45PM on Source: MANUEL MAG

Today's Wordle Hint, Answers for 1691 on Wednesday, February 4, 2026 Choya JohnsonFebruary 4, 2026 at 12:04 AM 0 The day just isn't complete until I've solved all of the free word games from the New York Times, including Connections, Connections Sports Edition, Strands, and Mini Crossword. And, of course, I can't forget about Wordle, too! If you're stuck on today's Wordle answer, we're here to help—but beware of spoilers for Wordle 1691 ahead. Let's start with a few hints.

- - Today's Wordle Hint, Answers for #1691 on Wednesday, February 4, 2026

Choya JohnsonFebruary 4, 2026 at 12:04 AM

0

The day just isn't complete until I've solved all of the free word games from the New York Times, including Connections, Connections Sports Edition, Strands, and Mini Crossword. And, of course, I can't forget about Wordle, too! If you're stuck on today's Wordle answer, we're here to help—but beware of spoilers for Wordle #1691 ahead. Let's start with a few hints.

🎬 SIGN UP for Parade's Daily newsletter to get the latest pop culture news & celebrity interviews delivered right to your inbox 🎬

How many vowels are in today's Wordle?

There are two vowels in today's five-letter word.

What kind of letter does today's Wordle start with?

Today's Wordle begins with a consonant.

Are there any double letters?

There are no double letters in today's Wordle.

Can you give another hint about today's Wordle?

Can mean to scold or to rebuke.

OK, that's it for hints—I don't want to totally give it away before revealing the answer!Related: 16 Games Like Wordle To Give You Your Word Game Fix More Than Once Every 24 HoursWe'll have the answer below this friendly reminder of how to play the game.SPOILERS BELOW—do not scroll any further if you don't want the answer revealed.

The New York Times (The New York Times)Today's Wordle Answer for #1691 on Wednesday, February 4, 2026.

Today's Wordle answer on Wednesday, February 4, 2026, is CHIDE.

-If you missed it, catch up with the answer to yesterday's Wordle.

Related: Today's Wordle Hint, Answers for #1690 on Tuesday, February 3, 2026

This story was originally published by Parade on Feb 4, 2026, where it first appeared in the Life section. Add Parade as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

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Published: February 04, 2026 at 01:45PM on Source: MANUEL MAG

The former Prince Andrew moves to King Charles III's private estate amid Epstein document uproar DANICA KIRKA February 4, 2026 at 5:59 AM 0 FILE Prince Andrew arrives for the funeral of the Duchess of Kent at Westminster Cathedral in London, Tuesday, Sept. 16, 2025. (Jordan Pettitt/Pool Photo via AP, file) () LONDON (AP) — The former Prince Andrew has moved out of his longtime home on crownowned land near Windsor Castle earlier than expected after the latest release of documents from the U.S.

- - The former Prince Andrew moves to King Charles III's private estate amid Epstein document uproar

DANICA KIRKA February 4, 2026 at 5:59 AM

0

FILE - Prince Andrew arrives for the funeral of the Duchess of Kent at Westminster Cathedral in London, Tuesday, Sept. 16, 2025. (Jordan Pettitt/Pool Photo via AP, file) ()

LONDON (AP) — The former Prince Andrew has moved out of his long-time home on crown-owned land near Windsor Castle earlier than expected after the latest release of documents from the U.S. investigation of Jeffrey Epstein revived questions about his friendship with the convicted sex offender.

The 65-year-old brother of King Charles III, now known as Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, left the Royal Lodge in Windsor on Monday and is now living on the king's Sandringham estate in eastern England, a person familiar with the matter said. British media reported that Mountbatten-Windsor will live temporarily at Wood Farm Cottage while his permanent home on the estate undergoes repairs.

Mountbatten-Windsor's move to Sandringham was announced in October when Charles stripped him of his royal titles amid continuing revelations about his links to Epstein. But the former prince was expected to remain at Royal Lodge, where he has lived for more than 20 years, until the spring.

The expedited departure came as Thames Valley Police announced that they were investigating allegations that Epstein flew a second woman to Britain to have sex with Mountbatten-Windsor. A lawyer for the alleged victim told the BBC that the encounter took place in 2010 at Royal Lodge.

The allegations are separate from those made by Virginia Giuffre, who claimed she had been trafficked to Britain to have sex with Andrew in 2001, when she was just 17. Giuffre died by suicide last year.

Mountbatten-Windsor has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing in his relationship with Epstein. He hasn't responded publicly to the new trafficking allegation.

Mountbatten-Windsor features a number of times in the 3 million pages of documents the U.S. Department of Justice released on Friday.

Correspondence between Epstein and someone believed to be Mountbatten-Windsor show Epstein offering to arrange a date between the man and a 26-year-old Russian woman. The man, who signs off simply as "A," later suggests that he and Epstein have dinner in London, either at a restaurant or Buckingham Palace.

The former prince's residence at Royal Lodge has long been a point of contention between the king and his brother.

After Charles became king in 2022, he tried to force his brother to move into a smaller house on the Windsor Castle estate. Mountbatten-Windsor refused, citing a lease on the property that ran through 2078.

But the pressure for him to leave became irresistible in October as lawmakers and the public raised questions about the favorable terms of Mountbatten-Windsor's lease on the 30-room house and surrounding estate, which is managed by the Crown Estate.

The Crown Estate controls properties throughout the country that are technically owned by the monarchy but are managed for the benefit of British taxpayers.

By contrast, the Sandringham Estate in Norfolk is the personal property of the king.

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Published: February 04, 2026 at 01:45PM on Source: MANUEL MAG