Summary

• Claire Holt left The Originals due to the end of her contract, not because of any drama or rift with the cast.
• Fans were sad to see Rebekah Mikaelson's departure from The Originals, but she made a brief but impactful return in Legacies.
• Rebekah Mikaelson, a fan-favorite character, left The Originals abruptly but was creatively kept in the show through various storylines.

On The Vampire Diaries spinoff The Originals, Claire Holt reprises her role as Rebekah Mikaelson, but during season 1, Holt ended her run as a series regular — why did Holt leave the show? Brothers Klaus and Elijah Mikaelson make their debuts during season 2 of The Vampire Diaries, and Rebekah is introduced during TVD season 3, followed by Kol and Finn. The first family of vampires proved to be so popular that The Vampire Diaries co-creator Julie Plec moved the Mikaelsons to New Orleans where the city's rich cultural and supernatural history provided the perfect backdrop for the squabbling siblings.

In Rebekah, The Originals watchers found a new fan-favorite — making Claire Holt's departure that much sadder. Her appearance in the series was incredibly brief, to say the least. While she did appear as a recurring character on The Vampire Diaries, fans wanted more of her character and were happy to see that she would be a protagonist in The Originals. While not the first to exit the TVD franchise, her withdrawal from the series came as a shock because of how sudden it was.

What Happened To Rebekah In The Originals

Klaus, Elijah, and Rebekah Mikaelson first arrived in New Orleans during the 18th century. During this time, Klaus encountered a young Marcel Gerard, whom he raised and considered to be part of the family. However, when Rebekah and Marcel fell in love, Klaus felt threatened and jealous, so he did everything he could to keep them apart.

In 1919, Rebekah and Marcel, with the help of a witch named Genevieve, called upon her father, vampire hunter, Mikael, who had been pursuing his children for most of their immortal lives. Rebekah hoped Mikael's presence in New Orleans would force Klaus to flee and leave her free to be with Marcel. She regretted her actions almost immediately, however — even more so after Klaus finally gave Marcel and Rebekah his blessing.

During season 1, in an attempt to divide the Mikaelsons, the witches (led by a resurrected Genevieve) revealed Rebekah's treachery to Klaus. Armed with a White Oak stake, Klaus planned to kill his sister. Trapped together in the City of the Dead, Elijah, Klaus, and Rebekah were forced to confront their complicated histories with one another and accept that they were truly cursed.

During season 1, episode 16, "Farewell to Storyville," Klaus decided to spare Rebekah's life, telling her to leave New Orleans and never return. Viewers were shocked by Holt's exit, whose original three-episode-story arc on The Vampire Diaries in 2011 turned into a recurring role.

Why The Rebekah Mikaelson Actress Left

The shortest answer to why Holt's Rebekah Mikaelson left The Originals is that Holt's contract was up. She opted not to renew it. In 2014, Holt addressed the rumors surrounding her character's unexpected departure, telling Buzzfeed:

"I want to be very clear that they didn't run out of material, I wasn't pushed out, I wasn't fed up with Rebekah, I didn't quit mid-season, there was no drama, there was no rift between cast members; it really came down to the fact that I completed my initial commitment and made a life choice, not a career choice."

Holt went on to say she wanted to focus on friends and family. She also viewed her exit as a"temporary absence," and Julie Plec agreed, promising fans had not seen the last of Rebekah. Holt appeared during The Originals season 1 finale, and Klaus tasked her with caring for baby Hope.

The series found creative ways to keep the character as an integral part of the show. During season 2, her soul was placed in the body of the witch Eva Sinclair (Maisie Richardson-Sellers). During season 3, the victim of a Ripper Curse, Rebekah was daggered until her family could find a cure. During the series finale, Klaus gave his sister the Cure, ensuring the upon Damon Salvatore's death, it would be passed on to her.

Holt worked on other projects during The Originals' five-season run. She appeared as Charmaine Tully on NBC's Aquarius (2015-2016). She was cast as the lead, Kayla, in the pilot for the ABC drama Doomsday. Holt also starred alongside Mandy Moore and Matthew Modine in the underwater thriller 47 Meters Down. Following The Originals, Holt appeared in three films in 2019: The Divorce Party, A Violent Separation, and Painted Beauty. In 2023, she lent her voice to the podcast series Evergreen alongside Lana Condor and Alan Cumming.

The actress has yet to duplicate the career success she achieved playing beloved bad girl, Rebekah Mikaelson, on The Originals.

Claire Holt Guest Starred In Legacies

Claire Holt did return to reprise the role of Rebekah Mikaelson in the TVD spinoff, Legacies. Like Nina Dobrev's Elena Gilbert, Rebekah is mentioned several times throughout the series, but no one really expected the character to return after such a short stint on The Originals.

However, return she did in two Legacies season 4 episodes, "I Thought You'd Be Happier To See Me" and "Everything That Can Be Lost May Also Be Found." In the former, she tracks down Hope because she is fearful of the path she has taken with her Tribrid status, and tries to get through to her by any means possible. In her second appearance, Rebekah once again tries to get through to Hope, as she believes that her humanity is flickering.

The character leaves just as soon as she comes, and considering that Legacies has been canceled, it's probably the last time audiences will get to see Claire Holt as Rebekah Mikaelson again. Despite her short-lived time on The Originals, the character of Rebekah is remembered fondly by fans and many were happy to see her return, albeit briefly, in Legacies.

The Originals is currently available to stream on Freevee.