Nathaniel Buzolic Says Former Co-Star Had Him Barred From Fan Events

Nathaniel Buzolic, who played the vampire Kol Mikaelson, has accused a former co-star of having him kept away from fan events because of his pro-Israel views. He made the claim in a video posted to Instagram on Monday, as reported by The Hollywood Reporter.

Buzolic did not name the co-star. In the video he called the person a "coward." He said the co-star had quietly arranged for him to be banned from fan events whenever that co-star was also attending. He claimed the aim was to stop him getting work and meeting fans.

Fan conventions are paid gatherings where actors and their fans meet, often for photos, signed items and panel talks. Being turned away from them can mean losing a regular source of income and direct contact with the audience. Buzolic's claims about how those decisions were made have not been independently confirmed.

Buzolic joined The Vampire Diaries in season three in 2012, playing Kol, a member of the Mikaelson family of vampires. He went on to reprise the role in the spinoff The Originals, which ran for five seasons from 2013 to 2018. Both shows were built around the same family of characters, which is why the cast of one often crossed into the other, and why fans of one show often attend events for both.

In the caption to the post, Buzolic wrote about telling the truth costing something. He also asked followers to guess who the co-star is. No name has been put forward.

Accusations like this are hard to test from the outside. Only the two people involved, and the organisers of the events in question, would know who decided what, and when.

For fans, the story is a reminder of how much of an actor's working life happens away from the screen. Conventions, social media posts and public comments can all shape who gets invited back. Buzolic has put his account on the record, and the people he named only by implication have yet to speak publicly about it.