Vampire Diaries star Nina Dobrev speak up about pay-gap from Male costars despite playing the central character

The Vampire Diaries premiered on September 10, 2009, on the CW and quickly became a cultural phenomenon. The series based on the books by L. J. Smith, had a total of eight seasons and the show became one of the CW’s most successful series.

In a candid interview with Deadline on September 9, 2025, Nina Dobrev opens up about the pay disparity she faced on the set of Vampire Diaries. She mentioned,

“I needed to be paid parity to the boys. I had to put my foot down and say if it didn’t happen I wouldn’t be able to come back. And it wasn’t about the money — I didn’t give a s— about the money at all — it was the principle.”

Despite playing the lead character, Elena and taking on the additional role of Katherine, Dobrev revealed she was paid significantly less than her male co-stars. She described the feeling of being undervalued, stating, “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 workload.”

She further stated,

“It was my second time trying to make this point. It wasn’t about the actual dollar amount, it was about being an equal. They really didn’t want to give it to me and I politely declined the offer.”

The Vampire Diaries Star Nina Dobrev Opens Up About Pay Disparity

In a recent interview for People on  September 9, 2025, Nina Dobrev shared her experience of fighting for equal pay during her time on The Vampire Diaries. The interview conducted by Samantha Highfill for I Was Feeling Epic: An Oral History of The Vampire Diaries, focuses more on Dobrev's struggle for fair compensation. Despite being the central character, she was paid less than her male co-stars, Paul Wesley and Ian Somerhalder.

Dobrev reflected on the inequality she faced. Her fellow actresses, Candice King and Kat Graham were the lowest-paid series regulars during the first two seasons. She mentioned how her contract only accounted for her portrayal of Elena. However, she was required to play the complex role of Katherine as well. 

She explained,

“I had to memorize double the amount of lines. I wanted to play Katherine, but I wanted to be compensated fairly for that, and I wanted to be an equal to the boys.” 

She was adamant about being fairly compensated for the extra effort, as she felt it was only right to be treated equally to her male counterparts. Dobrev recalled how the studio responded by asking the writers to stop writing for Katherine.

She then mentioned,

“It got really heated, and so it basically got phoned down back to us writers that we were not allowed to write Katherine in at all ever, which of course was not something that I felt was right or fair.”

Julie Plec, the show’s co-creator, corroborated Dobrev’s claims mentioning that they had to "basically beg the network" to allow Dobrev to continue playing Katherine after her pay dispute. Plec described the situation as a heated negotiation where the writers were instructed not to write for Katherine anymore. 

Despite the obstacles, Dobrev eventually negotiated a higher salary but it was clear that she was still not paid the same as her male counterparts. She expressed feeling unappreciated for her contributions, stating,

“It felt like they were saying that all the hard work I was putting into it didn’t matter to them.”

Further she stated, 

"I remember feeling like the studio didn't appreciate what I was bringing to the show, and it felt like they were saying that all the hard work I was putting into it didn't matter to them and that I wasn't an equal to my male counterparts, and so that was upsetting to me."

Dobrev’s exit from Vampire Diaries after six seasons was another chapter in her journey with the show. When she was approached to return for the eighth season, she faced another pay dispute. The offer she received was “five times less” than her previous salary, prompting her to stand her ground. 

"I needed to be paid parity to the boys. I had to put my foot down and say if it didn’t happen I wouldn’t be able to come back. And it wasn’t about the money — I didn’t give a s— about the money at all — it was the principle.” she mentioned.

In the end, Plec stepped in for Dobrev and the network agreed to pay her what she asked for in a single episode. Even though the issue has been resolved, Dobrev's story shows that pay gaps are still a problem in the entertainment industry, even for people in leading roles.