Four cast members from The Vampire Diaries were arrested in 2009 for allegedly “flashing drivers and hanging from a bridge.” But what really happened?
Back in the 2000’s, vampires were all the rage. The craze started after Twilight captivated audiences, with the books selling more than 100 million copies and the movie franchise rivaling Harry Potter at the box office.
It didn’t take long for a strew of vampire-led stories to flood the media, with The Vampire Diaries marking one of CW‘s most-watched premieres in 2009. But before the great debate surrounding Stefan vs Damon captivated fans, the show made headlines for a very different reason.
Four of the main stars — Nina Dobrev, Sara Canning, Kayla Ewell, and Candice Accolla — were arrested in 2009 for allegedly “flashing drivers and hanging from a bridge.” While their mugshots have since gone viral, here is what happened that fateful night.
Why was The Vampire Diaries cast arrested?
The incident took place in Georgia and saw the four young actresses arrested for allegedly flashing motorists and hanging from a bridge.
The group was taken into custody and reportedly paid a fine to a bonding company before being released the same day. Smiling in their mugshots, the actresses quickly found themselves at the center of a scandal that has captivated pop culture fans in the 15 years since.
However, it turns out there is more to the story than rumors suggest, with a writer from the show speaking out to reveal what actually happened.
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Carina Adly Mackenzie took to X in 2023 to clarify any confusion, revealing the only “flashing” that occurred was the flash of a camera. That’s right, the women were doing a photo shoot on the bridge — not revealing themselves to motorists.
They just felt cute because they’d had their hair & makeup tests done earlier and thought it’d be fun to take some pics together! Look how ~provocative and edgy~ it all was. OoOOooH sCaaaanDALOUS pic.twitter.com/Moet4k4S9l
— carina adly mackenzie (@cadlymack) August 26, 2023
“They were doing a photo shoot (not for [The Vampire Diaries], just for a photographer friend) on the bridge. The ‘flashing’ reported by drivers was A CAMERA FLASH and it was misinterpreted by the officer,” Mackenzie wrote in a now-deleted tweet. “The misunderstanding was cleared up and everybody went home.”
She went on to explain, “Similarly, they weren’t hanging FROM the bridge, but HANGING OUT ON the bridge. It maybe wasn’t SUPER safe, but they weren’t maniacs. Nina [and] Sara had JUST gotten their work visas to do [The Vampire Diaries] in the US. They were very aware that breaking laws could get them literally deported.”
“They just felt cute because they’d had their hair & makeup tests done earlier and thought it’d be fun to take some pics together!” Mackenzie said. “In conclusion, my friends are nice girls and always were.”
So, while the cast was in fact arrested, the circumstances surrounding the incident have been blown out of proportion. In reality, the situation stemmed from a misunderstanding with no passerby witnessing any flashing from the four leading ladies.
