Sofia Vergara and Joe Manganiello were once considered one of Hollywood’s power couples — glamorous, successful, and seemingly head-over-heels for each other.
From red carpet appearances to romantic social media posts, the two looked like the perfect match. But in July 2023, after nearly eight years of marriage, the couple announced their separation, shocking fans and igniting speculation about what went wrong.
At the center of many of those rumors was one lingering question: Did they split over their disagreement about having children?
Over the past year, both Vergara and Manganiello have opened up about the real reasons behind their divorce, offering sometimes differing perspectives on what ultimately drove them apart.
While both acknowledge that their views on starting a family were part of their early conversations and a factor in their relationship, they insist that it wasn’t the sole reason their marriage ended.
Joe Manganiello Breaks His Silence
In a July 2024 interview with Men’s Journal, Joe Manganiello addressed the widespread narrative that he left Sofia Vergara because she didn’t want children and he did. Calling the reports “simply not true,” the actor said that he never issued an ultimatum or pressured his wife into having a baby.
“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,” Manganiello said.
According to the actor, they did in fact discuss having children very early in their relationship — even within the first month of dating. “I said, ‘If you’re done with kids, then I understand.
Just tell me, and I’ll know what this is, and that’s OK.’ But that wasn’t the case with her,” he recalled. Manganiello added that they tried to have a family during the first year and a half of their marriage and that he had made a promise not to leave if things didn’t work out. “And I didn’t,” he emphasized.
Ultimately, Manganiello said the marriage didn’t end because of disagreements over children, but because the two grew apart over time.
“It’s because two people grew apart, and sometimes that happens,” he said, noting that such things can unfold even when the relationship is built on love and good intentions.
Sofia Vergara Offers Her Perspective
Shortly after Manganiello’s interview, Sofia Vergara gave her own candid take on the split in an August 2024 interview with Variety. However, she didn’t directly confirm or deny her ex-husband’s account.
Instead, she questioned whether the quotes attributed to Manganiello were even accurate. “At the end of the day, you never even know if that’s what he said for real. I’ve read a lot of things that I’ve said that I’m like, ‘Huh?’ What am I gonna do, call him? I don’t know if he even said that,” she shrugged.
Still, months earlier in a Spanish-language interview with El País, Vergara had been more forthright. She acknowledged that one of the key issues in her marriage was a disagreement over children.
“My marriage broke up because my husband was younger; he wanted to have kids and I didn’t want to be an old mom,” she said. “I feel it’s not fair to the baby. I respect whoever does it, but that’s not for me anymore.”
Vergara, who is now 52, explained that she had her son, Manolo, at 19 and was more focused on the next chapter of her life — one that didn’t include raising another child.
“I had a son at 19, who is now 32, and I’m ready to be a grandmother, not a mother,” she explained. “I’m almost in menopause; it’s the natural way of things.”
For Vergara, the idea of starting over with diapers and sleepless nights simply didn’t align with her stage in life. “When my son becomes a dad, let him bring the baby to me for a while and then I’ll give it back to him and go on with my life; that’s what I have to do,” she added.
A Case of Different Life Stages
From both of their accounts, it becomes clear that while the issue of children may not have been the dramatic make-or-break moment tabloids portrayed, it was indeed a fundamental difference between them.
Manganiello, 47, seemed open to becoming a father, while Vergara, 52, was already a mother and felt she had moved past that phase of her life.
Though Manganiello denies that children were the sole reason for their split, his desire for a family and Vergara’s hesitation likely represented a deeper incompatibility — a divergence in vision for the future.
Relationships often flourish when partners grow in the same direction. In this case, as both have said, they slowly began to grow apart.
Moving On with Grace
Despite their differences, neither Vergara nor Manganiello has spoken ill of the other. In fact, their post-divorce lives appear to be filled with new beginnings.
Vergara has since been romantically linked to orthopedic surgeon Justin Saliman. She posted a photo with him on her Instagram story, calling him “a handsome doctor,” sparking speculation about her new relationship.
Meanwhile, Manganiello is also moving on and has been dating actress Caitlin O’Connor since shortly after his divorce.
Even in the way they’ve handled public speculation, both actors have shown restraint and maturity. Vergara’s laid-back attitude toward Manganiello’s comments — questioning whether he even said them — shows a level of detachment and peace with the past.
Manganiello, on the other hand, made it clear he still feels hurt about being misrepresented in the media but also didn’t throw any blame at his ex.
Their breakup was more about two people in different phases of life, with different long-term goals, realizing that their paths no longer aligned.
It wasn’t a sudden fallout or a dramatic ultimatum — just a slow realization that love, while powerful, sometimes isn’t enough to bridge fundamental differences.
In the end, both Sofia Vergara and Joe Manganiello have emerged from their split with grace, mutual respect, and hope for the future. Their story serves as a reminder that sometimes, letting go is an act of love — for yourself and for the person you once built a life with.
