Five years since it ended, this is what the cast of The Vampire Diaries are up to now

After premiering nearly 13 years ago, The Vampire Diaries became an instant hit with viewers showcasing the most debated love triangle of all time between a pair of sexy vampire brothers and the seemingly normal girl-next-door, Elena Gilbert.

But it has now been five years since we were last in Mystic Falls watching Stefan sacrifice himself for his family and friends. The ending was a tear-jerker for more than one reason as fans reluctantly accepted the end of the hit teen franchise and waved goodbye to their favourite characters.

But what are all the cast members of The Vampire Diaries now? And what have they been doing since the show ended? Here’s everything you need to know.

This is what the cast of The Vampire Diaries are all up to now, since the show ended:

Nina Dobrev – Elena Gilbert/Katherine Pierce

Starring as not one but two of the main characters in the show, Nina Dobrev actually left before the end of the franchise at the end of season six, only returning for the finale of season eight.

She quickly found her next role in a horror comedy, The Final Girls, in 2015 and went on to star in a number of diverse roles from starring in xXx: Return of Xander Cage with Vin Diesel in 2017 to a leading role in 2019 sitcom Fam.

More recently, Dobrev was cast to star in Netflix original holiday move Love Hard, which premiered in November 2021, and now the Vampire Diaries icon is currently in a relationship with five-time Olympian Shaun White.

Ian Somerhalder – Damon Salvatore

Ian Somerhalder had fans swooning as Damon Salvatore, the sexy bad boy vampire who won over not only Elena’s heart as he tried to prove himself worthy but all of ours as well. Since leaving the show, he welcomed his first daughter with wife Nikki Reed in 2017.

He then went on to star in another vampire inspired show V-Wars in 2019, with his wife playing one of his co-stars. Most recently, in 2020 Ian Somerhalder launched his own brand of whiskey with ex-co-star Paul Wesley called Bourbon Brothers.

Paul Wesley – Stefan Salvatore

After playing one of the vampire heart-throbs, Paul Wesley has gone on to try the other side of production team, producing and directing shows. He even directed some episodes for the Vampire Diaries spin-off show Legacies on the CW.

More recently he married Ines de Ramon in 2019 and of course launched Bourbon Brothers with his former on-screen brother, Ian Somerhalder.

Candace King – Caroline Forbes

Since leaving her role as Caroline, Elena and Bonnie’s best-friend-turned-vampire, Candice King has had guest appearances in both TVD spin off’s The Original’s and Legacies reprising her role.

Candace has since welcomed two children with her husband Joe King, but in April of this year filed for divorce after eight years of marriage.

Kat Graham – Bonnie Bennett

After leaving her role as loveable witch Bonnie Bennett, Kat Graham has gone on to star in several movies including The Holiday Calendar in 2018 and Emperor in 2020.

She has also dabbled in the music industry releasing the single Sometimes in 2017. Most recently, she has announced her engagement to director Darren Genet.

Matt Davis – Alaric Saltzman

Since the end of The Vampire Diaries, Matt Davis has gone on to star in the spin off Legacies on the CW, continuing his role as Alaric Saltzman. The show follows Hope Mikaelson in the Salvatore School for the Gifted, with Alaric at the helm.

Steven R. McQueen – Jeremy Gilbert

Steven R. Mcqueen left TVD during its sixth season after starring as the handsome little brother of Elena, who was probably most known for being the character who was brought back to life the most throughout the series.

He continued acting after leaving the show, appearing in Chicago Fire and Home by Spring. Like some of his TVD co-stars, he also guest starred in Legacies. Most recently he appeared in the 2020 movie The Warrant.

Claire Holt – Rebekah Mikaelson

After appearing as one of the infamous original vampires, Claire Holt went to star in the TVD spin off The Originals and also guest appeared in the CW’s Legacies. She then went to star in movies in 2019 such as The Divorce Party and A Violent Separation. 

After divorcing her first husband Mathew Kaplan in 2017, she married Andrew Joblonin in August 2018. The couple went on to welcome a son in 2019 and a daughter in 2020. Most recently she became a swimwear designer, collaborating with swimwear brand Andie Swim in 2021.

Joseph Morgan – Klaus Mikaelson

Following his role as Klaus Mikaelson, the original hybrid, Joseph Morgan went on to star in the spin off The Originals focussing on the remaining members of the original vampire family as they settle in New Orleans.

After this, he went on to appear TV shows such as Animal Kingdom and Brave New World.

Featured image via Instagram @nina @iansomerhalder 

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