Joe Manganiello Details Health Battle, Claims Sofia Vergara Withheld Affection
The actor alleges his ex-wife's alleged lack of emotional support worsened his struggles with a severe autoimmune disease.
Joe Manganiello has detailed his seven-year battle with a severe autoimmune disease, claiming his ex-wife Sofia Vergara offered little emotional support and even ridiculed him during his darkest moments. The actor's new memoir, "Bloodlines," set for release on October 13, recounts how his health began to decline shortly after their 2015 wedding.
Manganiello, 49, described experiencing excruciating abdominal pain, fevers, blistering rashes, headaches, fatigue, and rectal bleeding. The illness led to a 60-pound weight loss and emergency surgery in 2016 to remove part of his intestines, leaving him dependent on an ostomy bag. He stated that the pain was so severe he considered suicide in 2019.
During this period, Manganiello alleges his marriage became "devoid of any emotionality whatsoever." He claims Vergara, 54, "refused to hug him even when he begged" and ridiculed his chihuahua, Bubbles, whom he adopted during his struggles. "I had to give my gun away because I kept thinking about it, and then the dog came. I went from being the patient to the caretaker," he wrote.
Manganiello also refuted Vergara's previous statements to El País in January 2024, where she cited his desire for children as the reason for their July 2023 divorce. Manganiello stated that his illness led him to abandon the idea of starting a family with Vergara after failed IVF attempts and considering egg donors. He claimed he "didn’t want to die and leave Vergara with a child who wasn’t biologically hers."
In contrast, Vergara, who has a 35-year-old son, Manolo, from a previous marriage, said she did not want to be an older mother. Manganiello previously disputed Vergara's claims in a July 2024 Men's Journal article, asserting that they did try to start a family in the early stages of their marriage.
Manganiello has since become engaged to Caitlin O’Connor, 37, and expressed openness to starting a family with her. He credits seeking alternative treatments, including visiting a Santa Monica shaman who suggested generational trauma as a cause, for his recovery. He is now off medication and pain-free after surgery to reconnect his digestive tract.
In June, Manganiello first disclosed the debilitating illness that led to a life-saving organ amputation, noting that prescribed treatments had severe side effects. He revealed that he had "suffered in silence, battling a deadly mystery illness" while seeking answers from top doctors, whose treatments only exacerbated his symptoms.