Joe Manganiello's Dragon Tattoo Marks New Chapter — After Actor Said Health Crisis Changed His Marriage to Sofía Vergara

Joe Manganiello is turning the scars from his seven-year health battle into a symbol of control, unveiling a massive dragon tattoo that stretches down the right side of his body.

The actor showed off the three-foot tattoo on Instagram on Oct. 19, revealing the red, black, and orange design from his abdomen to just above his knee.

Manganiello said the artwork covers scars left by surgeries he underwent during years of unexplained health problems.

The tattoo reveal comes as Manganiello promotes his memoir, Bloodlines, which details the medical crisis he says nearly killed him and the toll he says it took on his marriage to Sofia Vergara.

Manganiello documented the tattoo process in a series of photos, showing the artwork develop from an outline into the finished dragon.

He explained that covering his surgical scars was a way to regain control over his body after years of medical problems.

The tattoo also ties into a metaphor from Bloodlines, in which he compares his illness to his body sending "knights" to fight a Western dragon that did not exist.

According to Manganiello, those attacks caused damage throughout his body. The Eastern dragon in his tattoo represents himself, and he said it was his way of telling his body to stop attacking because "the dragon was me."

Manganiello says his symptoms began shortly after he married Vergara in 2015. He has described severe abdominal pain, fevers, rashes, fatigue, intestinal ulcers, and rectal bleeding, along with extensive testing and repeated colonoscopies.

In 2016, his condition led to emergency surgery to remove part of his large intestine. He spent months with an ostomy bag and says he ultimately lost 60 pounds during the seven-year ordeal.

Doctors treated him for Crohn's disease and colitis, but Manganiello says the treatments did not work and that he never received a definitive diagnosis.

The actor also said his illness complicated his sobriety. He told People that he used hydrocodone, fentanyl patches, and marijuana to manage his pain despite having been sober for 13 years

Manganiello and Vergara announced their separation in July 2023 after seven years of marriage. Vergara later said they split because Manganiello wanted children while she did not want to become an older mother.

Manganiello gives a different account in Bloodlines, saying his illness changed the marriage and eventually left it "devoid of any emotionality whatsoever."

He alleges that Vergara refused to hug him when he asked and ridiculed his Chihuahua, Bubbles, whom he adopted during his illness. Those statements reflect Manganiello's account of the relationship and have not been independently established.

He also said the couple had discussed having children and explored IVF before his health problems changed how he viewed fatherhood.