Getty Patton pictured at the 45th annual E! People's Choice Awards in November 2019.
Candice Patton is The Flash actress who has been accused of having an affair with J.R. Smith by the NBA star’s wife, Jewel Harris. Smith, 34, has four children with Harris. Smith is currently an NBA free agent.
Candice Kristina Patton was born on June 24, 1988, in Jackson, Mississippi, but spent her formative years in Plano, Texas. Before entering CW’s superhero universe, where she’s portrayed Iris West on Supergirl, DC’s Legends of Tomorrow, and Arrow, which has since catapulted her to stardom, she guest-starred as Tori on BET’s popular series, The Game. Her other TV credits include appearances on Grey’s Anatomy, One Tree Hill, and CSI: Miami.
Her first-ever acting gig was a series regular role on the soap, The Young and the Restless, where she played the role of Robin from 2004 to 2005. Before nabbing a part on The Game, she had a three-episode arc on HBO’s Entourage.
The 31-year-old actress has yet to comment on the cheating rumors. J.R. Smith posted an Instagram story on December 18 to tell the world that he had separated from his wife. Smith said, “IG ain’t a place for relationships!! But God told me to tell y’all I’ve been separated for months he doesn’t understand why his child failed to mention that… #Thatsall.”
Here’s what you need to know about Candice Patton:
1.Patton Is Single & Has Never Publicly Dated Anyone
GettyPatton attends Entertainment Weekly’s Comic-Con Bash held at FLOAT, Hard Rock Hotel San Diego on July 20, 2019 in San Diego, California.
Patton has never been publicly linked to anyone since entering Hollywood.
She explained to Haute Living, “I am a very private and very old school about how much access people should have. I always want to have a connection with my fans and show appreciation but at the same time, there is a difference between me the actor and me the person. And it’s important for me to have boundaries. I don’t want to share everything about my life with the public and so I constantly battle with the line of engaging with fans and protecting myself and my mental health.”
Patton speaks at “The Flash” Special Video Presentation and Q&A during 2019 Comic-Con International at San Diego Convention Center on July 20, 2019.
Even back in a 2015 interview with Glamour, she spoke of he life being single. “I have been single for so long,” Patton said. “It’s so hard to meet people. It’s terribly hard… I’m always working. I’m definitely looking!”
2.Patton’s Dog Zoe Has Her Own Instagram Account & Once Appeared on J.R. Smith’s Instagram
Patton’s dog, Zoe, has her own Instagram account. On December 13, numerous blogs reported that Zoe had been featured in one of Smith’s now-deleted Instagram stories. The YBF said in a posting that in the video, Patton’s voice could be heard. The YBF noted that prior to Zoe appearing in the video, Smith had been liking many of Patton’s recent posts.
In October 2019, Riverdale star Vanessa Morgan, a good friend of Patton’s, posted a photo of Smith and Patton together with the caption “Hottest couple.”
While it was her adorable dog who first tipped off users on Instagram that she may be having an affair with JR Smith after the NBA player featured the pup in a since-deleted video story, Zoe is Patton’s beloved dog, whos own fame on the social media site.
While Patton has 1.3 million followers on Instagram, Zoe has an impressive 35K followers, and her mom regularly updates her page with cute photos.
3. Patton Has Been Subjected to Racism in the Past Thanks to Her Role on ‘The Flash’
Patton has been nominated for a Teen Choice Award five times for her role in the CW hit show, The Flash. Patton’s part in the show has attracted attention as the character of Iris West is white in the original The Flash comic book. In November 2019 when a troll tweeted Patton to say, “You single handily [sic] ruined Flash.” Patton joked back saying, “And got paid big bucks to do it.”
While in the summer of 2019, Patton’s co-star, Grant Gustin, released an Instagram video where he drew attention to the abuse suffered by Patton since taking on the role of Iris West. Gustin said, “Iris is an African-American actress. She is black. She is beautiful. And she is our Iris and she is always gonna be.
Patton told Pop Sugar in February 2019 about the potential backlash she suffered due to her role saying, “Comic book fans are very opinionated [and] very vocal. So it was very scary stepping into that role when I started the show. Over time, people have embraced me and embraced this character, and I know it’s really important. What’s great is that in years to come, people will remember Iris West as being African American.” Patton went on to say that she went through a period of not going online because of the abuse she had been receiving.
Patton told the Washington Post in January 2018 that the abuse no longer bothered her as she felt as though she had “solidified the role.”
4. When Patton Was a Student at Southern Methodist University, She Won a ‘Search for the Stars’ Competition to Appear in ‘The Young & the Restless’
She attended college at Southern Methodist University, which is located in Dallas, where she appeared on stage in the school’s theatre production of Shakespeare’s “Titus Andronicus.”
Patton booked her part on the soap opera, The Young and the Restless, while a student at the school. The SMU Daily Campus reported in 2004 that Patton had won a collegiate competition organized by the producers of the famed soap opera to find the next star of the show. Patton told the school newspaper, “Wow… I was in complete and utter shock. Everyone was flipping out. I was not expecting it at all.”
Patton attends the HBO Luxury Lounge at the Four Seasons Hotel Los Angeles at Beverly Hills on January 9, 2016 in Los Angeles, California.
In that same production, Patton shared the stage with actor Michael Urie, who went on star in Ugly Betty. Patton graduated from the school in 2007 with a bachelor’s degree in the theatre from the school’s Meadows School of the Arts. Despite her success following graduation, Patton told Rogue Magazine in 2016 that a college education is not necessary for a successful career in the arts. Patton said, “I think it depends on the person. I wouldn’t trade those four years for anything, but I think college is more about learning who you are and becoming an adult in a fairly safe environment. I learned a lot by getting my B.F.A. in Theater; I think I’m a stronger television and film actress because of it, but I don’t think college is for everyone, and I don’t think everyone needs to go.”
5. Patton Launched An Online Site ‘Shethority,’ To Empower Women
Shethority is an online collective that aims to inspire other women, and to empower themselves. Along with fellow CW stars Emily Bett Rickards, Caity Lotz, Chyler Leigh and Melissa Benoist, Patton helped launch the platform in 2017 with the goal of providing women (and men) an inclusive space to talk with one another and take away that feeling of isolation that women feel often in society. Within a year of founding the company, Shethority had more than 120,000 followers on Instagram.
In an interview with Haute Living Patton said, “It’s been great to see male and female fans of the DCTV world connect through Shethority and find a safe space to talk about and learn about the empowerment of women.”
Co-founder Caity Lotz, star of Legends of Tomorrow, said of Shethority via Entertainment Weekly, “Society has pinned women against each other. There’s always this feeling of there’s only one seat at the table and if you want it, you better tear that other girl down. But if we want to reach equality, we have to lift each other up.”
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