Joe Manganiello Reveals Real Reason For Sofia Vergara Divorce In Rare Quote

Joe Manganiello finally opened up about his divorce with Modern Family actress Sofia Vergara , revealing disagreements surrounding the real reason they separated back in July 2023 after eight years of marriage.

The True Blood alum sat down with Men's Journal on Tuesday (July 16) to discuss his upcoming reality competition show, Deal or No Deal Island , his new relationship, and even touched on claims made by Vergara (five years his senior) that they divorced because he was younger and wanted children. The Hot Pursuit star cited children as the cause of she and Manganiello's divorce on multiple occasions, including an interview with El País in January 2024.

"I’m newly divorced from my second husband, who I was with for 10 years. My marriage broke up because my husband was younger; he wanted to have kids and I didn’t want to be an old mom."

Manganiello remembers the split differently .

"There's been a lot said in the press about me wanting a family. That’s simply not true..."

He continued:

"We did try to have a family for the first year and a half. And 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. And I swore to her that I would never leave if it didn't work out. And I didn't."

So, why did the pair split if Manganiello was ok with not having children with Vergara?

The Magic Mike star relayed that they simply grew apart as the years passed by, and that it was not in his character to give his former bride an ultimatum like that.

"That’s never who I was."

Manganiello and Vergara's divorce was finalized in February 2024 and both have since moved on with new partners .