Actor Ian Somerhalder is speaking candidly about the financial crisis that changed his life after he stepped away from Hollywood. The former 'Vampire Diaries' star said he left acting seven years ago after a business venture went badly wrong, leaving him and wife Nikki Reed facing major debt. According to Us Weekly, Somerhalder said the fallout came after he poured money into a clean energy company that was later hit by fraud and a collapsing market. The result was an eight-figure hole that forced the couple into a long recovery.
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Ian Somerhalder Says He Left Acting After Upheaval
Somerhalder said the decision to exit television came during a period of deep financial strain. “I retired from acting seven years ago,” Somerhalder told E! News. “I left an insanely lucrative career in television after financial upheaval from building a business that I didn’t build properly. And due to fraud, it put my wife and I into an eight-figure hole.” The 47-year-old had been investing heavily in a clean energy company while still working on television, making major personal guarantees as he tried to grow the business beyond the screen.
Nikki Reed Helped Negotiate a Way Out
The hardest part, Somerhalder said, was climbing back from the scale of the losses. He credited actress Nikki Reed with helping steer the family through the worst stretch. “But Nikki and I did it,” said Somerhalder according to Us Weekly. “You know, she really negotiated us out of this deal but we sold houses, paintings, cars, watches, everything.” That snapshot shows how severe the situation became. Rather than a quick fix, the couple had to strip down assets and rebuild step by step while protecting their family life.
Fraud and Market Collapse Hit the Business
Before his relationship with Reed, Somerhalder had launched the company while starring as Damon Salvatore on 'The Vampire Diaries.' He later explained that he had invested heavily and backed the venture with personal commitments to banks. He now says greed, fraud inside the company and fraudulent activity involving its biggest customer pushed the business toward collapse. A downturn in the oil and gas sector made matters worse. In hindsight, he said he should have been enjoying the rewards of a hit TV run instead of chasing companies that might never pay him back.
The Couple Marked 11 Years of Marriage
The story also adds another layer to Somerhalder and Reed’s long partnership. The couple, who share an 8-year-old daughter, Bodhi, and a 2-year-old son, recently celebrated their 11th wedding anniversary after marrying on April 26, 2015. In an earlier Instagram tribute, Somerhalder praised Reed for stepping in when he was overwhelmed by the crisis, writing that she threw herself into building a team and getting to the negotiating table. His latest comments make clear that the recovery was not just financial. It was also a test of trust, endurance and shared resolve.
