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There is no complete, publicly available payroll for The Vampire Diaries. Entertainment reports commonly estimate that Nina Dobrev, Ian Somerhalder and Paul Wesley earned about $40,000 per episode in the later seasons, but that figure is not confirmed by a published contract. Dobrev has separately said that she, Candice King and Kat Graham were the show’s lowest-paid series regulars during its first two seasons.
What is known about the cast’s pay?
The clearest widely repeated figure is an estimate of about $40,000 per episode for Dobrev, Somerhalder and Wesley in the later seasons. Entertainment coverage reports the figure, but does not cite a publicly available contract, and the reports do not specify a season or year. It should not be treated as a verified salary or as the cast’s pay across the entire run. Entertainment report and another entertainment report.
The series ran from 2009 to 2017. Dobrev left after season six and returned for the finale, according to Us Weekly’s 2025 report. The reports do not establish a complete season-by-season breakdown or confirmed episode rates for the supporting cast.
Did Nina Dobrev earn less than Ian Somerhalder and Paul Wesley?
Dobrev’s account supports a qualified answer: she said she was never paid the same as Wesley and Somerhalder during the show’s regular run. She also said she, King and Graham were the “lowest-paid series regulars” in the first two seasons. That first-person account establishes a pay disparity, but it does not give exact salaries or establish how large the differences were. Us Weekly’s 2025 report.
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How did playing multiple characters affect her workload?
Dobrev played Elena Gilbert and Katherine Pierce, among other roles. She described her contract as covering Elena, despite the extra work of playing multiple characters: “It was a bit of a tricky situation because my contract only said to play Elena, but I was playing multiple characters, which doubled my work-load.” She added, “I had to be on set for double the amount of time, I had to memorize double the amount of lines.” Her account makes clear that the added workload did not initially translate into pay parity; it does not provide a separate rate for each character. Us Weekly’s 2025 report.
Was pay parity negotiated for the finale?
Dobrev said that pay parity was important to her when negotiating her return for the series finale. “It was just really important to me that at the end of the show, as a woman, I wanted to make sure that I was compensated and that I was an equal to my male counterparts on the show.” Her statement supports that she sought equal compensation for the finale; it does not disclose a dollar amount or the terms of her agreement. Us Weekly’s 2025 report.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.What can’t be confirmed about other cast members?
No credible public source cited here verifies exact episode salaries for supporting actors such as King, Graham or Zach Roerig, or provides a complete cast payroll. Their specific pay should not be inferred from the reported estimate for the three leads.
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