At some point over the last few years, Ian Somerhalder and his wife Nikki Reed decided to leave Hollywood behind and focus on raising a family on their farm outside of Los Angeles. You may remember the absolutely bonkers story about Ian throwing out Nikki’s birth control pills after he decided that it was time for them to have children. I was a big LOST fan, (RIP Boone) but even that community was all, “Eww, ick nast, learn some boundaries, my man!”
Well, Ian and Nikki have been fairly quiet over the past few years, as they live that farm life with their two children, daughter Bodhi, six, and a six-month-old son whose name hasn’t been made public yet. As of right now, they’ve officially given up the acting life for that farm and executive producing life. The couple are passionate about making our planet a better place for the next generation, and are EPs of a new documentary, Common Ground. Common Ground is a follow-up to a 2020 documentary called Kiss the Ground. At the premiere, Ian was asked if he missed acting. Turns out, at 45-years-old, he’s basically over it.
Ian Somerhalder isn’t thirsting to sink his teeth into another role. In fact, the Vampire Diaries alum doesn’t even miss acting after moving to a farm outside of Los Angeles with his wife Nikki Reed to concentrate on family—including their 6-year-old daughter and 6-month-old son—and reconnect with nature.
“I love what I did for a really long time,” Ian told E! News at the Jan. 11 screening of Common Ground in partnership with Maker’s Mark. “I love making films, I just did it for so long. We had an amazing run.”
However, Ian does look back on set life fondly, describing it as a “community” and a “family.”
“But this is our 2.0 version,” he said, before turning to Nikki with a smile, “about to be 3.0 version.”
In the couple’s new dawn, Ian, 45, and Nikki, 35, are focused on creating a better future for the next generation. That’s why they got involved as executive producers on Common Ground, a follow-up to the 2020 documentary Kiss the Ground about how the “regenerative agriculture” movement could help with the global food system and Earth’s climate.
“When you see the way that nature operates, you find compassion,” Nikki told E! at the event. “It’s a beautiful thing to see what’s happening with children, to watch them participate in the growing of their food and the understanding of what food is and where it comes from.”
For the Twilight actress, she had her “a-ha chapter” in her early 20s. “I started connecting the dots between what you do for the planet and what you do for yourself,” she said. “It’s an evolution and a lifelong pursuit.”
Nikki continued, “It’s become a way of living so much simpler.”
But like Ian, who she married in 2015, Nikki has fond memories of her silver screen projects, including her breakout role in the 2003’s Thirteen.
“It’s such a throwback, all the time,” she admitted. “It’s life-changing for a lot of us.”
Ian added of the coming-of-age movie, “It’s pretty much a cultural thing.”
Look, I live next to a state park that I hike or run in several days a week. I am all about the environment and giving back to the Earth that has given us so many resources. And while I’m at it, I think The Giving Tree is a bullsh–t story that teaches kids that it’s okay to take to enrich our own lives because we’re owed it. Honk if you agree with me!
Okay, with that off my chest, let’s talk about Ian. Wikipedia says that he’s been an active actor since 1997. I get it, 27 years is a long time, and there’s nothing wrong with wanting a career change as you grow and mature. However, I get the impression that Nikki isn’t quite done with acting yet. Maybe I’m applying an intonation that isn’t there because of the whole birth control history, but the article’s phrasing when talking about her giving up acting is…interesting. I do wonder which one of them will return to acting first, though. Despite Nikki sounding like she’s not finished with that career just yet, my money is on it being Ian.
Photos credit: IMAGO/Faye Sadou / Avalon, Getty and via Instagram
If no one wants to hire you, are you really done with Hollywood? Or was Hollywood done with you?
It’s not kind, I know, but I came here for exactly this. Thank you for saying it more succinctly than I could have.
heh, I just read on other sites she was a nightmare to deal with and wanted to take over as female lead on Sleepy Hollow. Which added to the misery of treatment the amazing Nicole Beharie. Had to deal with, and left the show. And he was a total diva on V-Wars since he thought it would be the next big Netflix hit. And never thought it would flop and be canceled after the next season.
They deserve each other.
There’s a great book, Burn It Down (by Maureen Ryan) that goes in-depth into shows like Sleepy Hollow that were riddled with racism/sexism off-camera. SH was a particularly infuriating example, for the showrunners were straight-up racists who weren’t about to have an interracial lead couple–even if getting rid of it destroyed a hit show.
I doubt this was the case. Ian has worked very consistently in television in for decades. Along with the family/farm stuff, he had another business venture that went poorly, and I do genuinely think he just decided to step back and reassess.
I don’t know much about her but he got a rep for being difficult to work with and then there was all the debt from his bad business decisions.
I remember the Sleepy Hollow dirty business as well. Though I believe when Reed came along she was told she was the new lead over Nicole Beharie and acted accordingly. That show had been mistreating Beharie from day one, she was just the last nail on the coffin.
If they really wanted to help the environment. Stop having so many kids. There are plenty to adopt. And we have overpopulated the planet already. That would do so much more than any of this hippy dippy crap they are trying to push.
They have 2 – so how is that “so many kids”??
They only have two kids?! Also, the birth rate in the U.S. has declined significantly over the past 15 years. The environment is messed up largely due to large corporations. Those corporations also have the greatest amount of resources that can be used to make a positive change. Let’s figure out how to put pressure on them. The ballot box would be an easy place to start.
I have no idea if they’re being truly forthcoming about why they left Hollywood, but I do think he is one of those guys whose stunning youthful looks do not age well. He is starting to look kind of creepy faced. Maybe that has something to do with it…
Exactly what I thought when I opened the article and saw his pic.
Yeah I know it’s not kind, but I saw his pics and thought “my guy, you did not age well” 😬
I was thinking the same thing when I saw the picture of him with Paul Wesley
Wesley seems to be aging better. Although honestly I think Ian could look amazing with a different haircut and allowing himself to go silver. He could legit pull off a Cary Grant look IMO.
I’m not sure why this article is trying to make it sound as if Ian is the executive director of Common Ground. I was involved, albeit briefly, in the movie because of my work with my Tribe and Regenerative Agriculture. Ian is a blip on the screen. Please don’t judge this documentary, by this guy. Rebecca Harrell Tickell and Josh Tickell are the Directors/Producers/Writers at Common Ground Film and the film is amazing. It will hopefully be on Netflix soon!
Nikki hasn’t acted in anything in years. I think she was done with acting before Ian was. She has multiple businesses – including her jewelry and clothing lines. So I think the question was directed at Ian specifically – and so he answered. But I don’t think Nikki’s answer would be so different.
Many of us wish we had made enough money to quit our jobs and move to a hobby farm.
Myself included.
These folks are living a dream. Happily married, children, money enough,
Why do you think folks buy Lottery tickets?
He has won the lottery. Good for them.
I hope they both invested their acting money well and can live off that for the rest of their life on their farm. If they can, good for them, otherwise they’ll be back.
I could totally see Nikki doing one or two Hallmark movies a year like Allison Sweeney, Lacey Chabert or Autumn Reeser. No shade – I love those movies.
Oooh Hallmark would be a good route for Nikki once they run out of money doing #farmlife! 😂😂😂😂
Totally agree on the creep factor with Ian.
Nikki just gets more and more beautiful everytime I see her.
For the right role I think either one of them may go back, but I think it would have to be one they found meaning.
Both Nikki and Ian have side hustles that have turned into full time gigs. Nikki has Bayou with Love plus multiple other projects with a sustainability focus. Ian has Brothers Bond Bourbon with his VD costar Paul Wesley. The bourbon is doing pretty well from what I gather. They have received some positive press/awards and frequent the music festival circuit. I was at Bourbon and Beyond and they had a few segments there that seemed well attended. I think there are still a lot of women that follow Ian and are fans.
I find both Nikki and Ian to be a bit pretentious. I follow her on Instagram and she is frequently positing about alternative therapies that are out of touch for the average person and not necessarily science based. I think the start up with his bourbon and all the travel involved has really aged him. They were both actors who banked a lot on their looks, rather than talent. I can see as you get older and have kids your priorities may change and you would not be as interested in that career path.
Agreed, especially on the pretentiousness. I follow them both because I like to look at pretty things but I do feel like they’re leaning into some quackery & I wouldn’t be surprised if their next hustle is a cult. I’d still follow it tho
I know nothing about either of these people and I’m not sure what “The Giving Tree” has to do with any of this, but I’m here for the hate for that book. It’s a manual on how to have a dysfunctional relationship (with nature, with another person) and I’m happy it’s getting called out for its awfulness.
Living on a CA farm sounds nice.