Most Australians would know Sofia Vergara from the hit comedy television series Modern Family, in her role as Gloria Delgado-Pritchett. No surprises there, her work as the character Gloria has earned Sofia four Golden Globe Awards nominations, four Primetime Emmy Awards nominations and seven Screen Actors Guild Awards nominations! But Sofia’s career spans from the late 1990s, when she got her first big break modelling in a Pepsi commercial at age 17. Now, she is one of the highest-earning women in US television.
With news breaking in July 2023 that Sofia Vergara and Joe Manganiello were divorcing after seven years of marriage, we’re looking back on the couple’s relationship.
Why did Sofia Vergara and Joe Manganiello split?
Sofia and Joe confirmed their separation in a joint statement to Page Six.
“We have made the difficult decision to divorce. As two people that love and care for one another very much, we politely ask for respect of our privacy at this time as we navigate this new phase of our lives.”
A source also told Page Six that they have been “growing apart for a while now” and “are taking some distance from each other to contemplate their future”.
Who is Joe Manganiello?
Joe Manganiello was born 28 December 1976.
What does Joe Manganiello do?
No wonder these two understood each other so well – Joe’s in the entertainment industry too! An actor and director, as well an author, Joe’s breakout role was playing werewolf Alcide Herveaux on five seasons of the HBO series True Blood.
Joe was voted “Favorite Pop-Culture Werewolf of All Time” in 2011 by the readers of Entertainment Weekly off the back of his True Blood performance, and one of Men’s Health’s “100 Fittest Men of All Time”.
He has gone on to star in films such as Magic Mike, Magic Mike XXL, Pee-wee’s Big Holiday, What to Expect When You’re Expecting, and Sabotage. In 2016, he was cast as Slade Wilson / Deathstroke in the DC Extended Universe, making his first appearance in 2017’s Justice League.
Joe became a published author with his first book, Evolution: The Cutting Edge Guide to Breaking Mental Walls and Building the Body You’ve Always Wanted. His directorial debut came in 2014 with the documentary feature La Bare, which he produced and financed. In 2017 he won an Emmy as the narrator of the documentary Pittsburgh is Home: The Story of the Penguins, which focused on the first 50 years of history of the Pittsburgh Penguins hockey team.
How did Joe Manganiello and Sofia Vergara meet?
The pair first met through Sofia’s former Modern Family co-star, Jesse Tyler Ferguson, at the 2014 White House Correspondents’ Association dinner while she was still engaged to ex-Nick Loeb.
After news broke that Sofia had ended her engagement to Nick Loeb, Los Angeles-based Joe knew that this was his chance to make a connection with his long-time celebrity crush. He flew to New Orleans as soon as he could, while Sofia was in the middle of filming Hot Pursuit. Joe admitted on The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon that while he was in the airport on his way to rendezvous with Sofie, he noticed he was on the cover of a magazine as “America’s Hottest Bachelor” – so he took it with him to better his chances! Apparently, he immediately knew that Sofia was the lady for him and the rest was history!
“I knew pretty quickly that I could trust her, and she knew pretty quickly that she could trust me,” Joe told People magazine of their bond in 2020.
“And we’re both the kind of people who are capable of putting the other person ahead of ourselves. I was capable of putting her wishes ahead of mine, whatever they were, and she was capable of doing the same. Once you have that, you don’t let go of it.”
After only 6 months of dating, Joe got down on one knee on Christmas Day 2014 and proposed to Sofia in Spanish.
Watch Below: How Joe Manganiello proposed to Sofia Vergara
Where did Sofia Vergara get married?
Speaking to Entertainment Tonight in 2015, Sofia talked about the logistics of planning a wedding when so many friends and family members were spread across the globe. “I want all the people from Columbia and South America and from Europe to be able to make it to the wedding and Los Angeles is very far away from everything” Sofia explained to the viewers. After being spotted checking out venues in the area, Joe and Sofia Vergara officially became husband and wife on 22 November 2015 at The Breakers Palm Beach. The lavish $3 million wedding was the event of the year, with a grandiose floral display by celebrity florist Jeff Leatham in pride of place.
Watch Below: Sofia Vergara talks to Ellen DeGeneres about her wedding
Do Joe Manganiello and Sofia Vergara have children?
Sofia has one son from her previous marriage, Manolo, who was born in September 1991.
How many times has Sofia Vergara been married?
Joe’s marriage to Sofia is his first, but her second. In between her first and second marriages, she was briefly engaged to her boyfriend of two years Nick Loeb. In 2014, Sofia announced that they were calling the engagement off and going their separate ways. But it didn’t end there – In 2015, a year after they broke up, Nick filed a custody lawsuit against Sofia claiming that she had undergone IVF in 2013 and had had embryos created from his sperm and her eggs.
Two were frozen for a possible future pregnancy and Nick claimed Sofia wanted them destroyed, which she vehemently denied. Her attorney issued the following statement to People: “Vergara has never suggested that she wished to have the embryos destroyed … She has always maintained that they be kept frozen, a fact of which Loeb and his counsel have always been aware, despite Loeb’s statements to the contrary.” The complex case dragged on for years, with Sofia and her lawyer accusing Nick of trying to keep himself in the spotlight whilst trying to sabotage her second marriage. It is still unclear if the lawsuit has been resolved.
How long was Sofia’s previous marriage?
Sofia was married to her high school sweetheart at age 18 in 1990. They divorced in 1993, just two years after the birth of Manolo.
Who is Sofia Vergara’s first ex-husband?
Sofia’s ex-husband is Joe Gonzalez.
Why did Joe Gonzalez and Sofia’s marriage end?
Joe and Sofia split amicably once her career began to take off, and the strain of long-distance on their marriage proved insurmountable .
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