Ian Somerhalder Says "The Vampire Diaries" will End after Season 8
by Jessica Derschowitz
4/10/16


The end could soon be near for "The Vampire Diaries", according to series star Ian Somerhalder. The actor told fans at Walker Stalker Con in Nashville on Sunday that the show will conclude after season 8.

“We have decided to do one last season to really do the story justice,” Somerhalder said, according to the event’s official Twitter account. In comments caught on video, he added, “My role is shifting in the show and we have a lot to do, basically.”

A spokesperson for The CW told EW that “no decision has been made” regarding the future of the series.

http://www.ew.com/article/2016/04/10/vampire-diaries-ian-somerhalder-season-8

http://tvline.com/2016/04/12/the-vampire-diaries-ending-season-8-julie-plec-interview/

Showrunner Julie Plec made her comments to TV Line before Ian Somerhalder said Season 8 would be the last season, but following Kat Graham's exit announcement. Says Plec: “I’m going to be dead honest with you: I was so happy to get Season 8 that even the idea of Season 9 is so far away — I haven’t even started thinking about it.” The CW, for its part, says “no decision has been made” about The Vampire Diaries’ future beyond Season 8.

http://www.ew.com/article/2016/04/14/vampire-diaries-ian-somerhalder-unsure-show-end

Somerhalder said what he meant to say at Nashville’s Walker Stalker Con was that he believed Season 8 would be his last year. "Somehow in my infinite wisdom and end-of-season foggy brain, I managed to make it sound like the show was coming to an end,” he added. The reality, he says, is that the decision on when to end The Vampire Diaries has yet to be made.