Joe Manganiello challenges Sofia Vergara’s account of their divorce

Joe Manganiello is sharing his side of the story behind his divorce from Sofia Vergara, offering new details about their relationship, health struggles and disagreements over starting a family in his upcoming memoir, Bloodlines.

The actor’s book, scheduled for release on October 13, addresses the reasons behind the couple’s separation and challenges Vergara’s previous explanation of why their marriage ended. Manganiello claims that their decision to divorce was influenced by circumstances beyond their differing views on having children.

In January 2024, approximately six months after their separation became public, Vergara discussed the end of their marriage in an interview with Spanish newspaper El País. She explained that their different priorities regarding parenthood played a significant role in their decision to part ways.

Vergara said she did not want to become an older mother, while Manganiello wanted to have children. Her comments suggested that their opposing views on starting a family ultimately made it difficult for them to continue their relationship.

However, Manganiello disputed that account in a July 2024 interview with Men’s Journal. He insisted that the public narrative surrounding his desire to have children did not accurately represent their experience.

According to the actor, the couple had actively tried to start a family during the first year and a half of their marriage. He maintains that their efforts to have children were genuine and that their circumstances eventually changed.

In Bloodlines, Manganiello explains that his deteriorating health affected his hopes of becoming a father. He says the couple experienced unsuccessful attempts at in vitro fertilisation (IVF) and also discussed using egg donors as another possible route to parenthood.

However, he claims that his medical condition made him reconsider those plans. Manganiello says he struggled with the possibility of dying and leaving Vergara to raise a child who was not biologically hers.

The actor, now 49, also opens up about the serious health problems he says began after his 2015 wedding to Vergara, who is 54. He describes living with a painful autoimmune condition that significantly affected his physical and emotional well-being.

Manganiello writes that medications commonly prescribed for Crohn’s disease and colitis failed to provide the relief he needed. As his condition worsened, he says he turned to hydrocodone, fentanyl patches and marijuana to manage the pain, despite having maintained 13 years of sobriety.

He also describes experiencing severe emotional distress during this period, claiming that his illness left him struggling with suicidal thoughts.

Beyond his health problems, Manganiello makes several allegations about the emotional state of their marriage. He describes their relationship as having become completely lacking in emotional connection and claims that Vergara refused to hug him, even when he pleaded with her for affection.

The actor also alleges that Vergara made fun of his chihuahua, Bubbles, whom he adopted in 2019. These personal details offer a glimpse into the relationship difficulties he says he experienced during their time together.

Despite the alleged tensions, Manganiello acknowledges that Vergara was present during a serious medical emergency in 2016. According to his account, she stayed beside him while he underwent emergency surgery and authorised doctors to remove part of his intestines. He describes the procedure as a life-saving amputation.

Manganiello says his health has since improved following a second operation. He claims he is now free from pain and no longer needs medication.

The actor has also moved forward in his personal life and is engaged to actress Caitlin O’Connor, 37. He says he is open to having children with his fiancée, suggesting that he has renewed hope for the future.

Reflecting on his recovery and changing circumstances, Manganiello says the world has opened back up to him.

Vergara has not publicly responded to the allegations presented in the memoir, leaving the former couple’s differing accounts of their divorce unresolved.