Joe Manganiello Claims Shaman Told Him Sofia Vergara's Ex Cursed Him
The actor alleges in his memoir that a mysterious illness was caused by a voodoo curse from Nick Loeb.
Joe Manganiello has claimed that his recently disclosed illness was potentially caused by a voodoo curse from Sofia Vergara's ex-fiancé, Nick Loeb. In his newly released memoir, "Bloodlines," the 49-year-old actor recounts a conversation with a Cuba-based shaman who allegedly told him that a former partner of Vergara had cast a spell on him.
Manganiello wrote that the shaman's theory surprised him, as his illness had not been widely reported at the time, and many of his family members were unaware of his condition. The "Magic Mike" actor theorized that the alleged curse might have been placed on him by Vergara's former partner, Nick Loeb, with whom she engaged in a lengthy legal battle over two fertilized embryos created during their relationship after their 2014 split.
According to the memoir, the shaman contacted Manganiello, stating that he was ill and that something was wrong with his intestines. The shaman then claimed that someone who bore Vergara ill will had cursed Manganiello, saying, "Someone from your past is still in love with you. He put a voodoo curse on your husband. He did it in New Orleans."
The shaman offered to perform a cleansing and protection ritual, suggesting a meeting in Ecuador. However, Manganiello was struck by the shaman's alleged knowledge of his private health struggles.
"There were members of my close family who didn’t know any of that, let alone some random guy on the phone," Manganiello wrote, recalling his reaction to Vergara as being "equal parts fear, anger, and disbelief."
Manganiello considered the possibility that the curse was intended for Vergara, cast by a man from her past who could not have her, and that she would transmit it to any man she became involved with. He noted that the shaman claimed the curse was placed in New Orleans, where Loeb had previously lived.
Loeb, responding to the revelations, told the Daily Mail, "I pray they find Jesus – not another shaman."
Sources have claimed to TMZ that Vergara did not receive advance notice or a copy of Manganiello's memoir. Manganiello's representative stated to the Daily Mail, "So many people are suffering and searching for answers for themselves or for loved ones in pain caused by an autoimmune disease. The goal of the book is to let people know they are not alone, told by someone who for seven years privately battled a brutal, excruciatingly painful autoimmune disease that almost killed him multiple times and yet he survived. The disease broke his entire life, and everyone in it was affected."
Manganiello and Vergara began dating in 2014 after her split from Loeb. They became engaged on Christmas Eve of that year and married in November 2015. The couple announced their plans to divorce in July 2023, with the divorce finalized in February 2024. Vergara began dating orthopedic surgeon Justin Saliman later in 2023, while Manganiello has been dating actress and model Caitlin O'Connor since September 2023.