Is ‘The Vampire Diaries’ Ending? Clearing Up Rumors About Ian Somerhalder, Nina Dobrev And More

Is “The Vampire Diaries” coming to a close on the CW? Even though the beloved series got picked up for an eighth season, rumors are circulating that the end is near for the supernatural folks of Mystic Falls. But what’s truth and what’s fiction? We’re clearing things up with “TVD” rumor patrol.

Speculation about the fate of the show is nothing new. Following actress Nina Dobrev’s exit in Season 6, fans were certain that the series would be ending. But “The Vampire Diaries” has managed to stay afloat. The show introduced a slew of new characters and threats for the Salvatore brothers, and included time jumps to move the series forward. But when it was announced in November that the show would be moving from its Thursday time slot to Fridays, fans immediately began to panic again.

Although ratings have dipped, the CW still renewed “The Vampire Diaries” earlier this month for Season 8. But is there a future for Mystic Falls beyond that? Check out some of the biggest rumors below:

Rumor: “The Vampire Diaries” Season 8 Will Be Its Last.

Actor Ian Somerhalder’s recent interview with TV Guide has some fans nervous.

“Can you believe this s---?” Somerhalder said in response to the series being renewed. “F---ing seven years! Isn’t that crazy? Because very few people I know have closed out a series — well, we’re not closed out yet. We have another year now … [This morning] I just thought, ‘Wow, man. You just navigated seven years, 154 episodes of television.’ And by the time it’s done, it’s going to be 176 episodes, by this time next year.”

The quote sounds suspicious, but Somerhalder admitted to the outlet that he doesn’t know for sure if Season 8 will be the last for “The Vampire Diaries.” However, a quote from co-creator Julie Plec may shed more light on the end date. In January, Plec told E! News that as long as Somerhalder and co-star Paul Wesley want to “keep telling the story,” then she’ll continue.

Rumor: Damon Will Be Killed Off.

Promo videos for the coming episode of “The Vampire Diaries” tease a grim ending for Damon (Somerhalder). Right now Stefan (Wesley) bears Rayna’s (Leslie-Anne Huff) mark, which means if Rayna dies, then Stefan dies. But Damon has a plan to sacrifice himself by having Stefan transfer the mark to him. So, that means the end of Damon, right? There is no denying that it’s not looking good for Damon, but the show probably won’t do something so obvious. This is simply just speculation with nothing to back it up.

Rumor: Nina Dobrev Is Returning to “The Vampire Diaries.”

Dobrev left the show to pursue other ventures, but the writers decided not to kill her off. Instead they cast a spell on Dobrev’s character. As long as Bonnie (Kat Graham) is alive, Elena (Dobrev) will stay in a magic-induced slumber.

Rumors are circulating that Dobrev will appear as a doppelganger of Elena on “The Vampire Diaries” spinoff series, “The Originals,” but there is no truth to that — as of yet. However, there is still hope for the actress to return in the series finale of “The Vampire Diaries.”

“Nina has always said that if there’s something for her to do in the series finale that she will be there to do it,” Plec told Entertainment Weekly after Dobrev’s exit in 2015. “When she left, she said, ‘I want to see this character to its send at the end of the show, so I can’t wait to come back and put her to bed again.’”

“The Vampire Diaries” Season 7 airs on Fridays at 8 p.m. EDT on the CW. What do you think about all the rumors? Tweet @AmandaTVScoop.