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One free scan finds every outdated or missing driver and matches the right update for your exact hardware.Free scan · exact hardware matchNina Dobrev says a pay dispute with male co-stars was one factor in her decision not to continue as a series regular on The Vampire Diaries after season six. In an account published in Samantha Highfill’s 2025 oral history, she described seeking fair compensation for the added work of playing multiple characters. She had also said in 2017 that leaving was planned and that she wanted new roles and creative challenges, so pay was not the only explanation she gave.
What Dobrev said about pay
Us Weekly reported on September 9, 2025, that Dobrev discussed compensation in Samantha Highfill’s I Was Feeling Epic: An Oral History of The Vampire Diaries. Dobrev said her contract covered Elena, but that playing additional characters—especially Katherine Pierce—substantially increased her workload. As quoted by TVLine from the oral history, she said: “I had to be on set for double the amount of time, I had to memorize double the amount of lines.”
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Dobrev said she sought fair compensation and parity with male co-stars Paul Wesley and Ian Somerhalder. Us Weekly quoted her saying, “I needed to be paid parity to the boys,” and describing the situation as making her feel that her hard work did not matter and that she was not treated as an equal.
How pay factored into her departure
Dobrev left after the show’s sixth season in 2015. Her comments in the oral history connect the pay dispute to her decision not to continue as a series regular, but they do not establish that compensation was her sole reason for leaving.
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At the time, Dobrev described Elena’s story as a six-season journey. In a 2017 Harper’s Bazaar interview, quoted by ABC News, she said leaving had been planned “from the get-go.” She also spoke about wanting adult roles, challenging work, and opportunities to work with filmmakers. These earlier remarks add context: her career plans and her later-described pay concerns can both have influenced the decision.
What is known about the finale offer
Dobrev returned for the series finale in 2017. In the oral-history account, she said she insisted on pay parity before agreeing to return. Us Weekly quoted her describing the finale offer as “five times less” than what she had made while on the show. That is her reported comparison of the offer, not a disclosed salary figure: the coverage provides no dollar amounts or contract records that would independently verify it.
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What the reporting does—and does not—establish
The accounts describe Dobrev’s experience and recollections, rather than an independently audited comparison of the actors’ compensation. Us Weekly also reported that Dobrev, Candice King, and Kat Graham were described as the lowest-paid series regulars during the show’s first two seasons, while noting that former CW president Mark Pedowitz did not comment on Dobrev’s pay. The article does not provide payroll documentation supporting a ranking.
Us Weekly further attributed to creator Julie Plec a recollection that writers were told not to include Katherine scenes because Dobrev had to be paid for both roles. That is Plec’s recollection in the oral history, not independently documented evidence of a studio policy. The reporting does not establish a legal finding or a verified exact salary gap between Dobrev and her male co-stars.
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Timeline
| When | What happened |
|---|---|
| 2015 | Dobrev left after season six and publicly described Elena’s story as a six-season adventure. |
| 2017 | She returned for the series finale. In a Harper’s Bazaar interview, she said leaving had been planned and discussed seeking adult roles and creative challenges. |
| September 9, 2025 | Us Weekly reported her account of pay and workload from Highfill’s oral history, including her description of the finale offer. |
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