Why was 'The Vampire Diaries' star Ian Somerhalder disgusted by 'Delena' ship? Here's what we know

The Mystic Falls might have usual conflicts between the original vampires, doppelgangers, werewolves, and, to a certain extent, humans as well. However, nothing can come close to the intense fight between Team Stelena (Stefan and Elena) and Team Delena (Damon and Elena) – and history speaks for itself.

Turns out, Ian Somerhalder (who played the iconic role of Damon in ‘The Vampire Diaries’) was the latter team himself, until the toxicity turned bitter.

Ian Somerhalder does not support Delena fandom

In Samantha Highfill's debut book, 'I Was Feeling Epic: An Oral History of The Vampire Diaries,' Ian opened up about how he turned away from his fans after the ship names turned people mean. “I was the biggest Delena fan ever until I realized that the fandom had the ability to turn on people and become really, really mean,” he said about the show that ran from 2009 to 2017.

While producers prefer fans going down the rabbit hole and discussing the plot, the fictional universe had people judging and throwing fits online.

"I was like, 'Wait, whoa whoa, this is a fictional show with fictional characters, we can't be mean to other people for real.' It did change my appreciation of fandom," he continued, according to People, before adding, “I don't like people being mean to one another. It's a toxic cancer to society.”

Ian Somerhalder left the film business due to toxicity

Looking at how the fans treated each other, Somerhalder was disgusted and frustrated about the darkness that consumed the fandom. He just wants to tell a heartfelt story, and one of the reasons he left the entertainment industry is because of the blatant toxicity and how easily one can hurt the other. One of the elements that made fandom excited about the ship was that Nina Dobrev (who played Elena Gilbert) and Ian were in a relationship for a while during the show. Meanwhile, Dobrev and Shaun White recently broke off their engagement after being together for five years, shocking the fans.