Why Did Sofía Vergara and Joe Manganiello Split? A Breakdown of the Former Couple's Separation and Divorce

Sofía Vergara and Joe Manganiello were married for seven years before their shocking split.

The former couple first met at the White House Correspondents' Association dinner in May 2014. The Spider-Man actor reached out to Jesse Tyler Ferguson to ask for Vergara's number after she called off her engagement to Nick Loeb. Although she was initially hesitant to pursue a relationship with Manganiello, Vergara eventually agreed to share her contact information — and the two began dating shortly afterward.

After six months of dating, Manganiello proposed to the Colombian-American actress on December 24, 2014. They tied the knot in a lavish ceremony in Palm Beach, Fla., in November 2015.

Vergara and Manganiello did not have any children during their marriage, which ended after nearly eight years together.

Here's everything to know about Vergara and Manganiello's separation.

Vergara and Manganiello announced their decision to divorce on July 17, 2023, after seven years of marriage.

"We have made the difficult decision to divorce," they said in a statement to Page Six at the time. "As two people that love and care for one another very much, we politely ask for respect for our privacy at this time as we navigate this new phase of our lives."

The Magic Mike actor officially filed for divorce on July 19, 2023, citing "irreconcilable differences." He listed the date of separation as July 2, 2023, in the filing.

At the time of their separation, Vergara and Manganiello did not publicly disclose the specific reasons behind their split. However, a source told People they had been "growing apart for some time now" and "tried to resolve things, but they are focused on different areas of their lives."

"They definitely love and respect each other, but once that initial passion dies down and other areas get in the way, then little differences get bigger," the source added.

Another source claimed they had been arguing over minor issues for months.

Meanwhile, a separate insider said disagreements over having children had contributed to their separation.

In a 2024 interview with the Spanish newspaper El País, the America's Got Talent judge shared her explanation for why her marriage to Manganiello ended.

"My marriage broke up because my husband was younger; he wanted to have kids and I didn't want to be an old mom," Vergara said. "I feel it's not fair to the baby. I respect whoever does it, but that's not for me anymore."

Vergara and Manganiello finalized their divorce on April 5, 2024.

In response to Vergara's comments, Manganiello told Men's Journal, "That's simply not true."

The How I Met Your Mother actor said he wanted to have children with Vergara and that they "did try to have a family for the first year and a half," but it "wasn't inevitably why everything ended."

"We had a huge conversation right out of the gate during the first month we dated," he explained. "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."

Manganiello attributed the end of their marriage to growing apart, saying, "Sometimes, that happens."

More recently, Manganiello addressed their divorce in his memoir, Bloodlines, divulging he had struggled with a serious autoimmune illness during his marriage to the Modern Family actress.

"As I stood there watching [Bubbles, his dog], two things came to me: First, my marriage was over; second, maybe my life would be of more use if I went public with my condition," he wrote. "I had come to understand that there were aspects of my life that were far more important than acting."

According to Manganiello, his relationship with Vergara had become emotionally distant, alleging Vergara refused to hug him or show affection. He also claimed his ex-wife made fun of Bubbles, whom he adopted during a period when he was experiencing suicidal thoughts.

Following Manganiello's claims in his memoir, the Griselda actress reposted a cryptic message from her son, Manolo, about dealing with narcissistic people.

"Remember kids … it doesn't matter how much you do for [a narcissist]," the post read. "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."

While Vergara did not explicitly identify Manganiello as its subject, the True Blood actor responded during an appearance on CBS Mornings, saying anybody "who said that should read the book first and understand what the book is actually about, because it's not about that."

"It's about the suffering I went through," Manganiello added.