Actress Sofia Vergara graced our TV screen for 11 years as part of Modern Family, giving us those belly laughs we all love. The actress found huge success in the show and was nominated for four Golden Globe Awards, four Primetime Emmy Awards and 11 Screen Actors Guild Awards during her time playing Gloria Delgado-Pritchett.
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The ABC comedy opened several doors for the actress. She went on to star in films such as The Smurfs, New Year's Eve, Machete Kills, Chef, Hot Pursuit and more. Vergara was so successful in the Hollywood world that she was even named the highest-paid Hollywood actress in 2020. Stepping aside from acting for a bit after the end of Modern Family, Vergara joined the America's Got Talent team in 2020, where she has helped discover several breakthrough artists and performers.
Throughout her career, she has shared a lot of her personal life on social media, especially about her husband, Joe Manganiello, whom she married in 2014. This month, the couple announced that they will be divorcing after seven years of marriage.
"We have made the difficult decision to divorce," the pair shared in a joint statement. "As two people that love and care for one another very much, we politely ask for respect of our privacy at this time as we navigate this new phase of our lives."
Here is a timeline of the two actors' relationship.
2014: Joe Manganiello Reveals His Celebrity Crush
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Manganiello, much like the Colombian actress, is an actor and producer who has been on the Hollywood scene for quite some time. He began his career playing Flash Thompson in Spider-Man, starring alongside Tobey Maguire. After starring in Magic Mike, What to Expect When You're Expecting, Justice League and How I Met Your Mother, he went on to star in his major breakout role as Alcide Herveaux in HBO's True Blood. The actor is also a published author: His first book, Evolution, was released by Simon & Schuster Gallery Books.
Even before the two began dating, Manganiello revealed to People that Vergara was his celebrity crush.
"Sofía Vergara, that's it," he answered (quote via E! News). "She's got the butt, she's got curves, she's got a beautiful face, beautiful hair, just gorgeous. And she's feisty!"
2014: Joe and Sofia Meet
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The AGT host and Manganiello met in May 2014 at the White House Correspondents Dinner, and sparks flew for the both of them immediately. The couple actually met when Vergara was engaged to Nick Loeb; but, by June, Vergara was single and the two immediately began dating. Manganiello reportedly asked Vergara's Modern Family co-star Jesse Tyler Ferguson for her phone number.
"Yeah, I totally got busted," Manganiello told E! News in 2014. "That was actually funny when we first started dating, months after that. We had talked I guess, or kind of bumped into each other, but we didn't start dating until she was single. I mean, she had a boyfriend at that time, so I probably could have gotten into a fight for doing that. I'm not trying to start a fight at the White House."
2014: A Whirlwind Romance
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While on their first date, the actress was actually trying to sabotage the relationship, since she was hesitant due to her split from Loeb.
"Our first date was her giving me every reason why it would never work out," Manganiello told Haute Living in 2015. "Like, 'You're too young, you're an actor, you're this, you're that,' and she was just doing it to hear herself say it. She was trying to talk herself out of going there."
During an interview on The Tonight Show With Jimmy Fallon, Manganiello explained that his reputation as Hollywood's hottest bachelor even played a role in their courtship.
"I knew right away. She was in New Orleans shooting this movie. ... I was on a press tour. I was flying back and forth to date her," Manganiello said. "She had just gotten out of this long relationship and the second time I went to go see her, I was in the airport and I noticed that People magazine had put me on the cover ... No. 1 bachelor guy. So I was on the way to see her ... I grabbed it off the shelf and threw it in my bag, and I went to see her. We got to talking and I said, 'Look, I know you just got out of this long-term relationship, and if you need to be single then I understand. ... But before you answer, I want to show you something.' So I reached into my bag and pulled out the magazine, and I said, 'numero uno.' She picked up the magazine ... I saw that she was flipping by my interview. I said, 'What are you doing?' She said, 'I'm seeing who else is on the list.'"
December 2014: The Couple Gets Engaged
As expected, the pair hit it off right away, with Vergara confirming the rumors of their relationship during an interview with Extra. The actors immediately decided to move in together. Six months later, Manganiello was spotted at a jewelry store in Los Angeles, which sparked heavy engagement rumors. Sure enough, Manganiello proposed to Vergara in the couple's suite.
"Our first date was in June, and then I proposed to her on Christmas Eve; we dated for about six months. When you know, you know, and we know right away — like, very quickly," he told Haute Living. "We had this big bay window [that I opened up], and the sun was going down pink over the mountains and over the bay, and I had this ring. I had looked at every ring in the world, and this is the ring that I wanted. I had a whole speech prepared in Spanish. I proposed to her on one knee in Spanish with the sun going down. It was awesome."
November 2015: The Couple Ties the Knot
One year after moving together, the couple tied the knot, on Nov. 21, 2015, at The Breakers in Palm Beach, surrounded by 400 guests. After walking down the aisle, the pair honeymooned in Turks and Caicos, staying in Parrot Cay Resort.
In 2020, Manganiello opened up about his marriage.
"I knew pretty quickly that I could trust her, and she knew pretty quickly that she could trust me," he told People. "And we're both the kind of people who are capable of putting the other person ahead of ourselves. I was capable of putting her wishes ahead of mine, whatever they were, and she was capable of doing the same. Once you have that, you don't let go of it."
2023: The Couple Announces Split
On July 17, after seven years of marriage, Vergara and Manganiello announced in a joint statement that they were amicably divorcing.
The same week, Vergara shared photos from her vacation in Italy, writing, "Last days of vacay! Even when u r so hot I love u Ravello!!!"
Vergara's Modern Family co-star Julie Bowen shared the love on her friend's post, writing "This is what single and [fire emoji] looks like!!!"
Vergara's last post featuring Manganiello was on June 29, and it featured throwback photos of trips to Italy from the past.
Manganiello wished Vergara a happy birthday on July 10. The True Blood actor simply wrote, "¡¡¡Feliz Cumpleaños Sofía!!!"
