Joe Manganiello and Sofía Vergara were once one of Hollywood’s best couples, until their shocking divorce. Since then, Sofía has shared her side of the story that led to their breakup, but now Joe has debuted a different version.
Magic Mike star Joe Manganiello met Modern Family actress Sofía Vergara at the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner in May 2014. At that time, she was engaged to Nick Loeb. A few weeks later, she announced they called off the engagement, and Manganiello asked Vergara’s Modern Family costar Jesse Tyler Ferguson for her number. A true modern rom-com, the two went on their first date just shortly afterwards and became inseparable.
Manganiello proposed the same year, on Christmas, and the couple got married on November 22, 2015, in a stunning, star-studded wedding. The couple didn’t shy away from showing their love for each other on social media throughout the years, until they announced their divorce on July 17, 2023, after seven years of marriage. Since then, Sofía claimed the breakup happened because the actor wanted to have a baby, and she didn’t. Now, Manganiello is sharing his side of the story.
What did Joe Manganiello say about their divorce?
In an interview with Men’s Journal, Joe Manganiello opened up about the rumors that he wanted a baby, which caused a rift in the relationship. In January 2024, the Griselda actress told El País: “I’m newly divorced from my second husband, who I was with for 10 years. My marriage broke up because my husband was younger; he wanted to have kids and I didn’t want to be an old mom.” Now, the former True Blood star opened up about his ex-wife’s claims.
“There’s been a lot said in the press about me wanting a family,” Manganiello started when asked about the advice he’d give his younger self before becoming famous. “That’s simply not true,” he continued about Vergara’s claims. “We did try to have a family for the first year and a half. And 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. And I didn’t.”
Manganiello admits that he did want to have kids, but notes that “wasn’t inevitably why everything ended. It’s because two people grew apart, and sometimes that happens.” He continued, “To be painted as if I had some sort of midlife crisis, and after nine years, turned to somebody and gave them an ultimatum of, ‘Do this potentially unhealthy thing to your body, or else I’m gone’? That’s never who I was.”
Both Joe Manganiello and Sofía moved on
Sofía Vergara and Joe Manganiello’s divorce was finalized on April 5, 2024, and they have both moved on. A few months after the divorce announcement, Vergara started dating orthopedic surgeon Justin Saliman. They were first seen together in October 2023 and officially confirmed the relationship in November 2023. They recently became Instagram official after Vergara’s 52nd birthday.
Manganiello is dating someone new, too. The actor is now dating Caitlin O’Connor, also an actress, whose credits include a role in HBO’s Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty. The two made their debut at the Children of Armenia Fund Gala in New York, and have been dating since September 2023.
Published: Jul 17, 2024 02:50 pm