Why are Sofia Vergara and Joe Manganiello divorcing? Explained

In July 2023, Sofia Vergara and Joe Manganiello announced that they were getting a divorce. In a legal statement, Sofia Vergara cited "irreconcilable differences" as the reason for their split.

Now, half a year later, the Modern Family star has opened up on why the relationship between her and the True Blood star ended. In her interview with the popular Spanish newspaper, she revealed that her marriage ended because of age difference and family planning.

When they met, Vergara was engaged to ex-fiancé Nick Loeb, but Manganiello was determined to capture her heart, as he shared on the Jimmy Fallon show. Having dated for about a year, they took their vows in November 2015 at a star-studded wedding in Palm Beach, Florida.

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Sofia Vergara was not prepared for motherhood again

Sofía Vergara and Joe Manganiello (Image via sofiavergara@Instagram)

The breakup of Sofía Vergara and Joe Manganiello in 2023 garnered significant attention and caught many by surprise.

Ahead of the premiere of her Netflix series Griselda, Sofía spoke candidly with Spanish newspaper El País. She opened up about her personal life and talked about this exciting chance in her career. The 51-year-old Colombian actress opened up about her recent divorce, saying:

"I am a recently divorced woman. My marriage broke down because my husband was younger, wanted to have children, and I didn’t want to be an old mom. I feel it’s not fair to the baby."

Sofia with her son Manolo González-Ripoll Vergara (Image via manologonzalezvergara@Instagram)

The actress already has a 32-year-old son, Manolo González-Ripoll Vergara, from her previous marriage with Joe Gonzalez, and she didn't feel it right to be an old mom.

"That’s not for me anymore. I had a child at 19, and I’m ready to embrace the role of a grandmother, not a mother."

When questioned about the impact of the breakup on her, she described herself as a generally positive and happy individual.

"Colombians go through so many terrible things, and we always know how to see the cheerful side of life because otherwise, we couldn’t live," she said.

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Will Sofia Vergara consider dating in the future?

Looking forward (Image via sofiavergara@instagram)

After sharing the details of her breakup with Manganiello, Sofia Vergara found herself being asked about her preferences for a future partner. During her appearance on the Spanish show El Hormiguero (Antena3), she playfully requested to be introduced to someone, talking about what she expected.

"He has to be around my age, in his fifties like me, he has to have kids – I’m 51 – and he has to be good-looking, but not necessarily gorgeous, maybe an actor, not too much."

Besides the good looks, she also discussed her financial preferences, saying:

"I’ve said it many times: he has to be equal to or have more money than me."

Talking with PEOPLE on November 17, 2023, Vergara said that though the year was a difficult one because of the divorce and the SAG strike, she was looking forward to 2024 and all the projects she had lined up.