Brief
Joe Manganiello details seven‑year illness and divorce in upcoming memoir
Manganiello says a seven‑year autoimmune battle left him fearing death, strained his marriage and led to a new engagement.
By Felo News Desk · Published
Joe Manganiello, 49, told People that a seven‑year autoimmune illness left him convinced he would die each week, a revelation he expands on in his forthcoming memoir, Bloodlines. The actor said the condition caused major organ amputation, severe weight loss and multiple surgeries between 2015 and 2022.
He described symptoms that began shortly after his 2015 wedding to Sofía Vergara, including abdominal pain, fevers, rashes, fatigue and headaches. Treatments for Crohn’s disease and colitis failed, leading him to rely on hydrocodone, fentanyl patches and marijuana, which threatened his 13‑year sobriety.
Manganiello said the illness created an emotional rift in the marriage, which ended in divorce in 2023. He claims Vergara refused to hug him and that disagreements over having children—failed IVF attempts and a proposed egg donor—added strain. Vergara previously told El País the split was over his desire for a child, a claim Manganiello disputed in a 2024 Men’s Journal interview.
He also revealed that a shaman in Santa Monica helped him break generational trauma, after which he is now symptom‑free, off medication and engaged to actress Caitlin O’Connor.
Key facts
- Manganiello suffered a seven‑year autoimmune illness that led to major organ amputation and multiple surgeries. (independent.co.uk)
- He and Sofía Vergara married in 2015 and divorced in 2023, citing the illness and child‑bearing disagreements. (independent.co.uk)
- Manganiello says he is now symptom‑free, off medication and engaged to Caitlin O’Connor. (independent.co.uk)
Sources
- [1] independent.co.uk — originally reported as “Joe Manganiello: ‘For seven years I thought I was going to be dead the next week’”
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