EXCLUSIVE: Joe Manganiello Opens Up About Painful Sofia Vergara Split
Joe Manganiello reflects on his painful divorce from Sofia Vergara and shares his feelings on the split.
Nov. 3 2026, Published 7:00 a.m. ET
Joe Manganiello is ripping the lid off his bitter split from Sofia Vergara – claiming the glamorous star turned icy while he was fighting a devastating disease that left him contemplating suicide, RadarOnline.com can reveal.
The Magic Mike hunk, 49, says his seven-year marriage to the 54-year-old Modern Family beauty became "devoid of any emotionality whatsoever" as a mysterious autoimmune illness ravaged his body.
Manganiello Reveals His Darkest Days
Joe Manganiello claims his marriage to Sofia Vergara became emotionally distant during his battle with a debilitating illness.2020 Vanity Fair Oscar Party
In his explosive new memoir, Bloodlines, Manganiello describes agonizing abdominal pain, fevers, blistering rashes, exhaustion and intestinal bleeding that left him barely able to walk.
He ultimately lost 60 pounds and underwent emergency surgery in 2016 that removed part of his intestines and left him dependent on a stoma pouch.
But the physical agony was only half the nightmare.
Manganiello claimed Vergara "refused to hug him even when he begged" and said she even "ridiculed his beloved chihuahua, Bubbles, whom he adopted after reaching a terrifying breaking point.
By 2019, he said, the pain had become so unbearable he considered ending his life – and even gave away his gun because he feared what he might do.
Manganiello Challenges Vergara's Divorce Claims
The 'Magic Mike' actor reveals in his memoir 'Bloodlines' he lost 60 pounds and underwent emergency intestinal surgery.
"I went from being the patient to the caretaker," he recalled.
The revelations reignite the former couple's war over what really destroyed their marriage.
Vergara has previously claimed they split because Manganiello wanted children while she no longer did. But he insists that version of events is wrong.
According to Manganiello, the couple actually tried to start a family, including IVF and discussions about egg donors. But as his health deteriorated, he said he became terrified he could die and leave Vergara raising a child who wasn't biologically hers.
Now, the actor said his life has dramatically changed.
Manganiello Embraces a Fresh Start
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Now engaged to Caitlin O'Connor, Manganiello says he is pain-free and open to becoming a father.
Manganiello is engaged to Caitlin O'Connor, 37, and said he's once again open to becoming a father.
"For seven years I thought I was going to be dead the next week," he wrote. "The world has opened back up to me."
After surgery to reconnect his digestive tract, Manganiello said he's now pain-free and off medication.
And with his health restored, the actor appears determined to leave his painful past – and his marriage to Vergara – behind.
