Joe Manganiello Opens Up About Seven-Year Health Crisis, Suicidal Thoughts, and the Toll It Took on His Marriage to Sofia Vergara
Joe Manganiello is sharing the harrowing story of a seven-year health battle that he says brought him to the brink of death—and, he claims, contributed to the breakdown of his marriage to Sofia Vergara. In a candid new interview, the actor reflected on the years of pain, confusion, and isolation he endured while struggling with an undiagnosed autoimmune condition, and how adopting a tiny, sick chihuahua named Bubbles ultimately helped save his life.
“I can’t believe I’m alive,” Manganiello, 49, told People in an interview published Wednesday, October 7. Speaking about the medical mystery that consumed nearly a decade of his life, he added, “[Autoimmune] conditions are a dumping ground for things [doctors] don’t understand.”
The True Blood star revealed that he first began experiencing symptoms shortly after his 2015 wedding to Vergara, now 54. What followed was a grueling ordeal marked by multiple colonoscopies and an emergency surgery to remove part of his intestines. Despite countless doctor visits and medical tests, Manganiello never received a formal diagnosis. The experience left him feeling helpless and afraid, unsure if he would survive from one week to the next.
Now, Manganiello is telling the full story in his upcoming memoir, Bloodlines, which is set to be released Tuesday, October 13. The book promises to be deeply personal, exploring not only his physical decline but also the emotional and psychological toll it took on him—including, he says, the strain it placed on his relationship with Vergara.
According to People, Manganiello writes that his marriage to Vergara had “become devoid of any emotionality whatsoever.” He also alleges that when he begged his then-wife for an embrace, she refused to hug him. The actor further claims that Vergara ridiculed him for adopting his sick five-pound chihuahua, Bubbles, in 2019—a decision that came during what he describes as one of the darkest periods of his life.
“I had to give my gun away because I kept thinking about it, and then the dog came,” Manganiello said, revealing that he adopted Bubbles while struggling with suicidal ideation. “I went from being the patient to the caretaker.”
The revelation adds a heartbreaking layer to the public narrative surrounding the couple’s split. Manganiello and Vergara, who married in November 2015, announced their separation in July 2023, with Manganiello filing for divorce. Their divorce was settled in April 2024. At the time, the split made headlines, but the reasons behind it have been the subject of much speculation and conflicting accounts.
Vergara, best known for her role on Modern Family, has not publicly responded to the accusations in Manganiello’s memoir. Us Weekly reached out to her representatives for comment but did not receive an immediate response. However, the actress has been outspoken in the past about why she believes her marriage to Manganiello ultimately failed.
In January 2024, Vergara told El País that the couple divorced because they disagreed about having children. “My marriage broke up because my husband was younger,” she said at the time. “He wanted to have kids and I didn’t want to be an old mom. I feel it’s not fair to the baby. I respect whoever does it, but that’s not for me anymore. I had a son at 19 … and I’m ready to be a grandmother, not a mother.”
Vergara shares her son, Manolo, 35, with ex-husband Joe Gonzalez. She also spoke about her hopes for the future during that interview, making it clear that she was not looking to expand her family. “If love comes along, he has to come with [his own] children,” she said. “I’m almost in menopause, it’s the natural way of things. 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.”
Manganiello, however, has repeatedly refuted Vergara’s claim that their split was caused by differing views on family planning. In his latest interview, he pushed back against the narrative that had been circulating in the press. “There were things said and printed about me that were false,” he claimed, while noting that he remains open to having children in the future. “If that’s meant for me. For seven years, I thought I was going to be dead the next week. The world has opened back up to me.”
Before the divorce, sources close to the couple had suggested that the pair were simply living in different worlds. A source previously told Us Weekly that their separation wasn’t sparked by any dramatic incident. “Joe and Sofia split because they were living different lives,” the source said. “There wasn’t cheating or anything like that. They both realized that they were rarely on the same page.”
That sentiment seemed to echo the growing distance Manganiello describes in his memoir. According to his account, his health struggles created an emotional chasm between him and Vergara that neither of them was able to bridge. The actor’s allegations paint a picture of a marriage under immense strain—a partnership tested not only by the ordinary challenges of Hollywood life but by a profound, ongoing medical crisis that left him feeling isolated and desperate.
Manganiello’s health journey appears to have been as mysterious as it was devastating. After years of symptoms that no doctor could fully explain, he underwent multiple invasive procedures and ultimately lost part of his intestines in emergency surgery. Yet no definitive diagnosis was ever reached. It was only later, after adopting Bubbles and finding a renewed sense of purpose, that Manganiello began to recover. Today, he says he is symptom-free and no longer takes any medication for the illness that once consumed his life.
The actor’s story is one of survival, but it is also one of reckoning. In Bloodlines, he appears to confront not only the physical suffering he endured but also the emotional consequences—both for himself and for those closest to him. His decision to speak so openly about suicidal thoughts and the role his dog played in his recovery is likely to resonate with many readers who have faced similar struggles.
Manganiello has since moved forward in his personal life. He proposed to his fiancée, Caitlin O’Connor, in 2025, marking a new chapter after the end of his marriage to Vergara. His current relationship appears to be built on a very different foundation, one that he has described as healthier and more supportive.
As the release of Bloodlines approaches, the book is already generating significant buzz—not only for its revelations about Manganiello’s marriage but for its unflinching look at the reality of living with a chronic, undiagnosed illness. The actor’s willingness to discuss his darkest moments, including his decision to give away his gun during a period of suicidal ideation, offers a rare glimpse into the private struggles of a public figure.
For readers, Bloodlines may serve as both a memoir and a warning: a reminder that health crises don’t exist in a vacuum, and that the people we love are often carrying burdens we cannot see. Manganiello’s story also highlights the frustrating reality of autoimmune diseases, which are frequently misunderstood, misdiagnosed, or dismissed altogether by the medical community. His comment that these conditions are a “dumping ground” for things doctors don’t understand speaks to the experience of millions of patients who have been told their symptoms are “all in their head” or who have gone years without answers.
The publication of Bloodlines is sure to reignite public interest in the Manganiello-Vergara relationship and the many factors that led to its end. While Vergara has yet to respond to the latest claims, it is likely that the conversation around their divorce will continue to evolve as more details emerge from the memoir.
Regardless of where readers land on the couple’s competing narratives, Manganiello’s account of his health battle is a sobering reminder of what he went through—and of the fact that, for many people, simply making it through the day can be an act of courage. As he put it himself, “I can’t believe I’m alive.” For Manganiello, that belief is now accompanied by gratitude, resilience, and a renewed sense of possibility.
Bloodlines will be available Tuesday, October 13.
