Joe Manganiello Opens Up About His Split From Sofía Vergara

In Bloodlines, Joe Manganiello shares his account of the breakdown of his marriage to Sofía Vergara and recalls the most difficult moments of his battle to regain his health.

Joe Manganiello has once again put his controversial divorce from Sofía Vergara in the spotlight, this time making a series of particularly harsh revelations about the Colombian actress.

In his new memoir, *Bloodlines*, the actor recounts the years he battled a serious autoimmune disease and claims that, while fighting to recover his health, he also had to cope with emotional distance from his then-wife.

Manganiello asserts that Vergara would refuse to hug him when he asked and even mocked the bond he formed with Bubbles—the small dog that, according to his account, became a crucial source of support during one of the darkest periods of his life.

However, his statements go beyond personal grievances. The actor also challenges the long-standing explanation for the divorce: that the couple split because he wanted children and Vergara did not. "Things were said and published about me that were false," Manganiello maintains, explaining why he decided to share his version of events now.

The growing distance between Sofía Vergara and Joe Manganiello

In Bloodline, Joe Manganiello describes how his marriage to Sofía Vergara became "completely devoid of emotion." According to his account, as his physical condition deteriorated, the emotional intimacy between them also vanished. The actor claims that during those years, he would ask Vergara for affection, only for her to refuse to hug him.

As the actress pulled away, Joe found solace in his pet, forging a special bond with the dog during one of the most challenging times of his life. The actor recounts experiencing suicidal thoughts and deciding to hand over a gun he owned because he feared using it on himself. Shortly after, Bubbles entered his life, and—by his account—the responsibility of caring for the small dog shifted his perspective.

“I had to get rid of my gun because I couldn't stop thinking about it, and then the dog arrived. I went from being the patient to being the caretaker,” he wrote.

Manganiello states that Vergara used to make fun of his relationship with the pet—something he remembers as particularly painful given the emotional state he was in at the time. According to the actor, the story of Bubbles became one of the defining elements of that period in their marriage.

Sofía Vergara’s version of the divorce

Joe Manganiello’s recent statements also reignite a discussion that began publicly following their separation.

In a January 2024 interview with El País, Sofía Vergara explained that a fundamental reason for the breakup was that Manganiello wanted children, whereas she did not wish to become a mother again.

“My marriage fell apart because my husband was younger; he wanted kids and I didn’t want to be an older mother,” the actress stated at the time. Vergara, who had her son Manolo at age 19, explained that she did not want to start motherhood all over again at that stage of her life.

“I’m ready to be a grandmother, not a mother,” she said in that interview. Vergara’s explanation has since become the most widely known version of why the relationship ended. However, Manganiello maintains that the story was far more complex.

Manganiello contradicts that version

The actor had previously publicly challenged the narrative that their marriage ended simply because he wanted children. In 2024, he stated that this explanation did not accurately reflect what had transpired between them. Now, in *Bloodlines*, he offers further details and asserts that the illness played a decisive role in his decision regarding parenthood.

According to his account, the couple even attempted in vitro fertilization treatments and later considered using an egg donor. However, as his health deteriorated, Manganiello began to contemplate the possibility of dying and leaving Vergara to raise a child.

The actor states that he ultimately abandoned the idea of ​​becoming a father with Vergara due to fears regarding the consequences of his illness.