It has been seven years since Ian Somerhalder and his wife Nikki Reed retired from acting and relocated to a sustainable farm in the countryside near Santa Barbara, California, leaving Hollywood behind. The 47-year-old former star of The Vampire Diaries encountered severe financial difficulties while working for an unnamed clean energy startup, after making personal guarantees amounting to eight figures to a bank.
Financial Collapse and Recovery
'It all came crashing down,' Somerhalder recalled to E! News on Wednesday. '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 Louisiana-born businessman described the debt as 'a hard hole to climb out of,' but praised his wife, the 37-year-old Twilight alum, for negotiating their way out. 'We sold houses, paintings, cars, watches, everything,' Somerhalder admitted.
He previously credited Reed for rescuing him from the 'terrible' business situation in 2021. 'I've never disclosed this publicly, but this woman worked selflessly for two years to build me out of a terrible business situation I got myself into,' he wrote on Instagram. 'She devoted her life to getting me out of that mess and it almost killed her along the way. I am where I am because of this woman. Brothers Bond Bourbon is actually here today because of this woman. I was able to start my life over because of this woman.'
Family and New Ventures
On Sunday, the inseparable pair celebrated their 11th wedding anniversary. They are proud parents to an eight-year-old daughter named Bodhi and a two-year-old son whose name has not been publicly disclosed. Somerhalder and Reed, who both played vampires on screen, originally began dating in 2014, just a few months after she filed for divorce from American Idol alum Paul McDonald.
In 2023, the power couple launched a pharmaceutical-grade powdered supplement brand called The Absorption Company, alongside business partners Zeke Bronfman and Nate Medow. Somerhalder previously co-founded Brother's Bond Bourbon in 2021 with his Vampire Diaries 'sibling' Paul Wesley, and they successfully secured $7.5 million in funding last year.
The Actor Award winner, who just purchased his first plane, is scheduled to sign autographs and take pictures with fans at his next booze event at Pavilions in Burbank, California on May 7 from 1-3pm. Meanwhile, Reed founded her own sustainable jewelry company, Bayou With Love, in 2017. The homeschooled Los Angeles native, who boasts 7.2 million social media followers, is also a prominent influencer with paid partnerships for brands such as Joi Women's Wellness, Leica Camera, Prenuvo, Genexa, Cleobella, Stetson, and 1 Hotel West Hollywood.
Acting Careers and Personal Life
Somerhalder and Reed have not taken on acting roles since co-starring as Dr. Luther Swann and Rachel Thompson in Netflix's 2019 sci-fi series, V-Wars. The happy couple was initially introduced by a mutual acquaintance and remained friends for several years before beginning their relationship. Reed was previously married to American Idol contestant Paul McDonald, with whom she tied the knot in 2011; they separated and divorced in 2015. Somerhalder was also romantically involved with his Vampire Diaries costar Nina Dobrev from 2010 until 2013.
The pair moved quickly in their relationship, moving in together after only three weeks of dating. They announced their engagement in February 2015 and tied the knot that April. Reed is best known for playing Rosalie Hale in the Twilight film franchise from 2008 to 2012, while Somerhalder played the broody heartthrob Damon Salvatore in The Vampire Diaries for eight years, from 2009 to 2017.
