You know how celebrity couples who break up release joint statements letting the public know that they will no longer be romantically linked? The messaging is usually along the lines of “we continue to care for each other deeply and would appreciate everyone respecting our privacy as we move forward blah, blah, blah.” Well, on July 17, 2023, that’s exactly the kind of statement that Sofía Vergara and Joe Manganiello issued announcing that they would be getting divorced.
More from MamásLatinas: Sofía Vergara opens up about public divorce from Joe Manganiello
The former couple had been married for seven years and two days after the announcement was made, Joe filed for divorce citing “irreconcilable differences.” Not that it is anyone’s business why their marriage dissolved, but of course curious minds wonder.
Well, now those of us who were curious no longer have to wonder because the Colombian actress is ready to share that a major reason for her split is that they are in different life stages and could not agree on the issue of having kids. Check out what Sofía said. It’s kind of heartbreaking, actually.
Their joint divorce announcement gave no clue as to why they were calling it quits.
“We have made the difficult decision to divorce,” the couple said in a statement to Page Six that was shared on July 17, 2023. “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.”
Two days after the joint statement, Joe filed for divorce.
Joe officially filed for divorce and cited “irreconcilable differences” as the reason. Such a vague term, don’t you think? Irreconcilable differences could mean just about anything like they can’t agree whether the toilet paper should hang over or under the roll. The reason reflects the standard wording for a divorce in a state that recognizes no-fault divorces.
Fast forward to January 2024 and Sofía gets specific about their irreconcilable differences.
While being interviewed by the Spanish newspaper El País, Sofía was asked how her personal life was going. She did not hold back and even started talking about the demise of her marriage.
So why did her marriage break up?
“My marriage broke up because my husband was younger; he wanted to have kids and I didn’t want to be an old mom,” she explained. “I feel it’s not fair to the baby.”
Keep in mind she’s already a mother.
“I respect whoever does it, but that’s not for me anymore,” she continued. “I had a son at 19, who is now 32, and I’m ready to be a grandmother, not a mother.” Sofía shares her son Manolo with ex-husband Joe Gonzalez.
Plus, there’s the whole biological aspect.
“I’m almost in menopause; it’s the natural way of things. When my son becomes a dad, let him bring the baby to me for a while and then I’ll give it back to him and go on with my life; that’s what I have to do,” she added.
The thing is, Joe isn’t that much younger than Sofía.
Joe is only five years younger than Sofía. That’s really not that big of an age gap. But they were definitely in different stages of their lives. Sofía has done the mom thing. Joe has not done the dad thing and clearly must be feeling a strong pull in that direction.
Did they discuss having kids before they got married?
"When you're with somebody that hasn't had kids, and you want to start a relationship, of course, there's always that question," she told Cosmo for Latinas in 2015. "And if it happens, it will be something that will make us very happy, but it's not a priority in our lives."
They met on May 3, 2014, at the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner.
At the time, Sofía was engaged to businessperson and actor Nick Loeb. A few weeks after that dinner, Sofía announced that she and Nick broke up. Joe got wind of the news and asked Sofía’s Modern Family costar Jesse Tyler Ferguson for her number.
They went public with their relationship in August 2014.
"You know I'm just having a great time and it's a special time in my life and I'm trying not to think too much about it. It's something very new so we will see what happens," she told Extra in regards to her budding romance.
That same year, Joe proposed.
"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 knew right away—like, very quickly," he shared with 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."
They were married on November 22, 2015.
Their wedding took place at Breakers Resort in Palm Beach, Florida. Sofía looked exquisite in a Zuhair Murad gown while Joe was dashing in a traditional black tuxedo. They exchanged their vows in front of about 350 guests.
Seven years later, they parted ways.
After seven years of marriage, they shared with the public that they were done. They announced their split on July 17, 2023. Joe listed the date of their separation in his divorce filing as July 2, 2023. They certainly were a striking couple, weren’t they? That’s a rhetorical question because, of course they were!
It had to be a heartbreaking decision for them to split up.
Marriages are complicated and there are probably other reasons that contributed to their divorce, but the wanting kids versus not wanting kids is kind of a deal breaker. I can only imagine that it was painful for both of them. In the end, it wouldn't be fair for Joe not to pursue his desire to be a father, it would have eventually torn them apart.
