Joe Manganiello, 49, Turned to 'Amputation' and 'Pagan Rituals' While Battling Mysterious Chronic Illness for Seven Years
Joe Manganiello is set to release a new book.
June 23 2026, Published 6:10 p.m. ET
Joe Manganiello has admitted his health battles resulted in an amputation, he recalled in his gripping new memoir, RadarOnline.com can reveal.
The True Blood star explained he struggled with "a cascade of autoimmune-related illnesses," which targeted his thyroid, digestive system, skin, lungs, and eyes across seven years. Even having an "amputation," Manganiello struggled to find answers from doctors, turning to more spiritually based treatments.
Joe Manganiello Details Extremes to Cure Illness
Manganiello's new book focuses on his battle with chronic illness.
According to his book, the 49-year-old suffered from "chronic pain, a life-saving organ amputation, existential crisis, and a prolonged fight for survival that left doctors with few answers and no clear explanation."
As part of his search for answers during that unspecified time in his life, the actor researched his family genealogy, discovering his ancestors also struggled with chronic pain (and some even survived the Armenian genocide).
In an effort to ease the burden, Manganiello tried "shamans, pagan rituals, ancient myths, long-lost family records and the rebirth of his own spirituality."
Joe Manganiello Reflects on 'Brutally Difficult Time'
The actor hopes to help others heal from their own journeys.
In a statement to People, he said, "It was the most brutally difficult time of my life, one I wouldn't wish on my worst enemy, but also my greatest adventure. I hope that what I went through on this journey can give readers hope that answers and healing may lie for them on the other side of whatever they are fighting through.
"The process of writing this book gave me the gift of perspective that helped me to see that my suffering was a cocoon from which I would emerge forever changed."
His book, Bloodlines, releases on October 13.
Publisher Simon & Schuster called Bloodlines "deeply personal and emotionally expansive." It tackles topics like "illness, inheritance, masculinity, faith, ambition, and the identities we build to endure."
Tell-All Memoir Could Include Details on Divorce
There's a possibility Manganiello's divorce from Sofia Vergara could be included in memoir.
While the tell-all memoir largely centers around his medical crisis, the publisher promised it's "more than" that. However, the exact details are still unknown.
"It is a searching account of what happens when the life you have constructed can no longer contain the truth of what you carry," they described.
After all, a health scare isn't the only major shakeup Manganiello dealt with in recent years.
In 2023, he divorced from Sofia Vergara and came under a flurry of speculation.
In a statement to Page Six, the pair said at the time, "We have made the difficult decision to divorce. As two people that love and care for one another very much, we politely ask for respect for our privacy at this time as we navigate this new phase of our lives.”
JOe Manganiello and Sofia Vergara Divorced in 2023
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Vergara claimed they split over kids.
Vergara claimed their relationship's downfall could be credited to Manganiello wanting kids and her not, according to Spanish newspaper El País.
However, Manganiello insisted they got the story wrong. He told Men's Journal, "That's simply not true."
He added, "We had a huge conversation right out of the gate during the first month we dated. I said, 'If you're done with kids, then I understand. Just tell me, and I'll know what this is, and that's okay.' But that wasn't the case with her. And I swore to her that I would never leave if it didn't work out."
It's unclear if his relationship is on the table for his book. Vergara already began cozying up with someone new, anyway.
