The cast of The Vampire Diaries reunited — but Ian Somerhalder was nowhere to be found.
Nina Dobrev, who played Elena Gilbert on the show, took to TikTok on Sunday, November 26, to surprise followers with a reunion. The actress, 34, winked at the camera before smiling and passing the phone to Paul Wesley, who portrayed Stefan Salvatore.
Wesley, 41, gave his phone a confused look before covering the camera and transitioning to Kat Graham, who played Bonnie Bennett. Graham, 34, checked herself out before passing the video to Candice King (Caroline Forbes), who held her drink up to the camera.
Next, Kayla Ewell (Vicki Donovan) appeared on screen and smiled before Claire Holt (Rebekah Mikaelson) took control. She zoomed in on her face before the clip transitioned to Michael Trevino (Tyler Lockwood), who was driving his car. Dobrev then showed up one more time to wrap up the TikTok.
Although the cast was not physically together to reunite, fans were quick to notice that Somerhalder, 44, who played Damon Salvatore, was not included in the clip.
“We need Ian somerhalder,” one follower wrote, while another questioned, “You included tyler but not damon?!” A third social media user wondered, “Where was Ian somerhalder??”
Dobrev and Somerhalder dated in real life and on the show. The duo began their real-life romance in 2010 after season 1 finished wrapping.
In May 2013, Us Weekly confirmed they had split after three years of dating. Dobrev and Somerhalder’s characters, however, sparked their romantic relationship on season 4 of The Vampire Diaries, which premiered in October 2013.
The following year at the 2014 People’s Choice Awards, Dobrev and Somerhalder won Best On-Screen Chemistry.
While accepting the award, the duo performed a skit while addressing their breakup. “We started dating on the show,” Dobrev said while explaining the plot of the CW series.
“Then we started dating in real life,” Somerhalder added.
Dobrev continued, “And then we broke up in real life.”
Somerhalder then told the audience that their “characters are still dating on the show,” while Dobrev quipped, “It’s a good thing it’s not awkward!”
The duo concluded their skit by laughing as Somerhalder gave Dobrev a kiss on the cheek.
The following year, Somerhalder moved on with Nikki Reed. The pair tied the knot in 2015 and have since welcomed two kids together: daughter Bodhi Soleil, 6, and a son, 4 months. Dobrev, meanwhile, started dating Shaun White in 2020.
Despite their breakup, Somerhalder and Dobrev never made it awkward on set.
Holt, 35, later opened up about Somerhalder and Dobrev’s relationship and post-breakup dynamic during a May 2021 podcast episode of “Not Skinny But Not Fat.”
“They kept it super professional,” she said. “It never got weird … They did a great job at managing that. But it’s hard. For a lot of people, it’s really tough.”
Although Dobrev left the series after season 6 concluded in 2015, The Vampire Diaries continued to film until March 2017.
