Joe Manganiello responds to ex-wife Sofia Vergara’s ‘narcissistic man’ accusations

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Joe Manganiello is addressing ex-wife Sofia Vergara’s apparent “narcissistic man” accusations.

Manganiello, 49, and Vergara, 54, split in 2023 after eight years of marriage.

Vergara told El Pais in a 2024 interview that she “broke up because my husband was younger; he wanted to have kids, and I didn’t want to be an old mom,” adding that she didn’t think it was “fair to the baby.”

In Manganiello’s new memoir, Bloodlines, he shared his side of the story and disputes that that’s why their relationship came to an end.

“There were things said and printed about me that were false,” he told People last week.

‘Good man vs. narcissistic man’

While Manganiello’s book focuses on his near-fatal autoimmune disease, it also includes details from his marriage to Vergara, notably one snippet in which the Magic Mike actor reveals that Vergara once refused to hug him amid his health issues.

The Modern Family star’s son, Manolo Gonzalez Vergara, seemingly responded by sharing on Instagram a chart which compared the characteristics of a “good man” to those of a “narcissistic” one.

“Remember kids, when dealing with a narcissist, it doesn’t matter how much you do for them, because 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,” Gonzalez Vergara captioned the post.

The America’s Got Talent judge shared the post on her own Instagram Stories, adding a clapping emoji.

In an interview with CBS Mornings on Monday, Gayle King brought up the social media slam from the Vergaras, noting, “They appear to be saying that basically, it’s terrible what happened to you but the bottom line is that you’re a narcissist.”

Manganiello said that “anybody who said that should read the book first.”

Bloodlines “isn’t about my marriage,” he insisted. Rather, it’s about “survival and it’s also about hope,” and “this journey I went through.”

When his mystery health issues began

Manganiello and Sofía got engaged on Christmas Eve in 2014 before tying the knot nearly a year later.

Soon after, however, the True Blood star began experiencing mysterious health issues.

Over the course of seven years, Manganiello lost 60 pounds in two weeks, underwent numerous colonoscopies, and had part of his intestines removed during an emergency surgery in 2016, leaving him with an ostomy bag.

He has never received a conclusive diagnosis.

Vergara saved his life

In the book, he opened up about his recovery from the health battle, which ultimately contributed to the end of his and Vergara’s marriage.

That said, Manganiello “absolutely” credits Vergara for saving his life.

“They had to call her as next of kin and give her options of what I would want done to me while I was unconscious, and she chose the right one,” he told King.

“It bought me time,” he detailed. “It didn’t solve the problem. The doctor still had no idea what was causing this, how to treat it, but it bought me enough time.”

Manganiello admitted that his health battle, which he kept from everyone but those closest to him, notably Vergara, as they were both impacted “by the trauma and the pain.”

He acknowledged: “You can’t predict how that’s going to affect people. It affected me in a certain way. It affected her. It affected family members. It was seven years long.”

He added: “It was tough.”

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