Joe Manganiello is opening up about how his battle with a life-threatening autoimmune disease affected his marriage to Sofía Vergara, including a painful incident in which he claims his now ex-wife refused to hug him.
During an appearance on CBS Mornings with Gayle King on Monday (Oct. 12), the actor discussed his upcoming memoir, Bloodlines, which explores his health struggles and how the experience affected his personal life.
King referenced a passage from the book in which Manganiello recalled asking Vergara for a hug while suffering from severe pain, only to allegedly have his request denied.
“The trauma and the pain affected everyone in my life, including me, in ways that you can’t predict,” Manganiello said. “And it was tough.”
The True Blood actor clarified that sharing these deeply personal experiences wasn’t intended as a criticism of Vergara. Instead, he wanted readers to understand what he went through while battling the illness.
“This memoir tells the story of the journey I went through,” he said.
Manganiello also revealed that other members of his family had experienced the same condition, though some weren’t as fortunate to survive it.
“I wasn’t randomly selected,” he explained. “As it turns out, I had family members that were fighting the same exact symptoms, and didn’t live through it.”
In his memoir, Manganiello also alleged that Vergara mocked him over his dog, Bubbles, whom he adopted in 2019 during a particularly difficult period when he was struggling with suicidal thoughts.
These revelations appear to have stirred tension between the former couple, who announced their separation in July 2023 after seven years of marriage.
Following reports about the memoir, Vergara reshared an Instagram Story from her son, Manolo, addressing the challenges of dealing with a narcissistic person.
“Remember kids … it doesn’t matter how much you do for a [narcissist],” Manolo wrote. “They will resent you for it and nothing will ever be enough and they’ll always somehow try to paint you as the bad guy.”
When King asked Manganiello about the post and the implication that he was being portrayed as a narcissist, the actor rejected that interpretation of his memoir.
“Well, I think anybody who said that should read the book first and understand what the book is actually about, because it’s not about that,” he said. “It’s about the suffering I went through.”
Manganiello also emphasized that he has no desire to engage in a public feud with his ex-wife.
“I try to paint everyone with an amount of grace, no matter who they are,” he said. “Because it is a nuanced discussion, and it’s not something I care to carry out on social media.”
