Nearly a year after filing for divorce from Sofia Vergara, Joe Manganiello is opening up about the reasons behind their split. In a recent interview with abc news, the "Deal or No Deal Island" host refuted Vergara's claim that their marriage fell apart because he wanted kids and she didn't.
The Kids
In January Vergara told El PaÃs that the relationship ended because Manganiello wanted kids and she didn’t want to be an “old mom”. Vergara who has a 32 year old son Manolo from a previous marriage said “I don’t think it’s fair to the baby”
Manganiello 47 said that’s not true “We did try to have a baby for the first year and a half of our marriage. 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.”
The Real Effort to Have a Baby
Manganiello said he and Vergara made a real effort to have a baby. He even told her he would never leave if it didn’t work out. “I told her I would never leave if it didn’t work out. And I didn’t.” This is a big part of their relationship, it wasn’t a whim by Manganiello to have a baby, it was something they had discussed from the beginning.
Irreconcilable Differences
Despite their efforts, Manganiello filed for divorce in July 2023, citing "irreconcilable differences" after eight years of marriage. He explained that their separation was not due to a midlife crisis or an ultimatum about having children. Instead, he noted that sometimes relationships end simply because “two people grew apart.”
Manganiello expressed his hurt over the narrative that he left Vergara because she didn’t want children. “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,” he explained.
The After
After they split the couple released a joint statement saying they had made the difficult decision to divorce. “We have decided to divorce. As two people that love and care for each other very much we kindly ask for respect for our privacy at this time as we move forward in our lives,” the statement read.
Moving On
Since the divorce Manganiello and Vergara have moved on. Manganiello is dating actress Caitlin O’Connor 34 and Vergara is with orthopedic surgeon Justin Saliman.
Joe and SofÃa Vergara marriage and divorce is a long story, with real attempts to have a family and real respect for each other despite their differences. Manganiello’s interview reveals the real reason they split, and it wasn’t just because they wanted different kids. As they move on with their lives it’s clear their relationship was built on honesty and real love for each other.
In the end it’s a reminder that even the biggest celebrities can end relationships for normal human reasons. As Manganiello said “two people grew apart and sometimes that happens” and we can all relate to that.
