Joe Manganiello’s (49) Memoir Drops a Bizarre Curse Claim Tied to Sofía Vergara’s (54) Past

Celebrity memoirs often come with surprising revelations, but Joe Manganiello’s new book may have just delivered one of the strangest of the year. The ‘True Blood’ and ‘Magic Mike’ star has released ‘Bloodlines’, a memoir that devotes plenty of attention to his marriage to Sofía Vergara and the health battle that shadowed it.

The couple married in a lavish wedding in November 2015 and split in 2023. In the book, Manganiello claims his failing health ultimately led to the end of their marriage, adding a deeply personal layer to a split that has long fascinated fans.

Among the memoir’s most eye-catching passages is Manganiello’s claim that a shaman once told him Vergara’s ex was responsible for his mysterious illness. He writes that a shaman living in Cuba phoned him and said someone from Vergara’s past who was still in love with her had placed a voodoo curse on him in New Orleans.

The shaman reportedly knew Manganiello was sick and that something was wrong with his intestines. That detail rattled him, since he says even some close family members didn’t know about his health problems.

The actor recalls glancing at Vergara with a mix of fear, anger, and disbelief during the call. He admits he couldn’t understand how a stranger on the phone could possibly know such private details.

According to his account, the shaman offered to cleanse and protect him and even suggested they meet somewhere like Ecuador. The experience clearly left a lasting impression on Manganiello.

Joe Manganiello claims in his memoir that a shaman told him Sofia Vergara’s ex caused his illness with voodoo. “The thought crossed my mind maybe it was Sofía who was cursed, cursed by some man in her past who couldn’t have her, so he put some sort of hex on her so that for the rest of her life, she’d transmit it to any man who got together with her.”

— Pop Crave (@PopCrave) October 13, 2026

Manganiello also writes that the encounter sent his thoughts in an even more unusual direction. He says he briefly wondered whether Vergara herself had been hexed by a man from her past who couldn’t have her, in a way that would affect any man she later became involved with.

He acknowledges in the book that these thoughts sounded unbelievable. Still, he says the shaman’s knowledge of his condition made the claim hard to dismiss outright. Manganiello writes that his mind turned to Vergara’s former partners, focusing on her ex-fiancé Nick Loeb, noting that Loeb once lived in New Orleans while attending Tulane University.

These remain Manganiello’s own musings in the memoir, and no evidence of any curse has been presented. He also says he told Vergara that if they ever ran into Loeb in public, they would leave rather than risk a confrontation.

The curse story sits within a broader account of Manganiello’s struggle with a mysterious illness. He credits Vergara with a life-saving decision during that period, writing that she agreed to let doctors remove his severely infected large intestine during a 10-hour surgery.

His health troubles stretch back years. In 2016, he was hospitalized with a serious case of appendicitis that reportedly ran into complications during surgery and forced him to exit the History Channel series ‘Six’.

The memoir’s release hasn’t gone unnoticed by Vergara. Around the book’s launch, she reshared a message about narcissistic men, which many interpreted as a pointed response to her ex-husband’s claims.

Manganiello has reportedly responded to that post as well, keeping the back-and-forth in the headlines. Vergara has not publicly addressed the curse story directly. The claim quickly went viral after Pop Crave shared it online, with many readers reacting to just how unusual the story is. For some, it’s an oddly fascinating window into the desperation of searching for answers during a long illness.

For others, the memoir’s frequent focus on Vergara has raised questions about how much of their private life should be on public display. Either way, ‘Bloodlines’ has firmly put the former couple back in the spotlight.

Have something to add? Let us know in the comments!