‘One Piece’ Star Joe Manganiello (49) Says Sofía Vergara (54) Mocked the Chihuahua That Helped Him Through His Darkest Days

For years, Joe Manganiello looked like the picture of health. The ‘Magic Mike’ and ‘True Blood’ star was known for his imposing physique, but behind the scenes he was privately fighting a life-threatening illness that only a small circle of family and friends knew about.

The actor first opened up about that battle in an Instagram video in June, after announcing his memoir ‘Bloodlines’. The book, out October 13 from Avid Reader Press, an imprint of Simon & Schuster, details a cascade of autoimmune-related illnesses that attacked his skin, thyroid, eyes, lungs, and digestive system.

Now new excerpts are revealing how that struggle affected his marriage to Sofía Vergara. In the memoir, Manganiello claims his then-wife ridiculed him over the chihuahua he adopted in 2019, at a time when he was contemplating suicide.

The dog, a 5-pound chihuahua named Bubbles, arrived during one of the most difficult periods of Manganiello’s life. According to excerpts shared online, he writes that he had already taken steps to keep himself safe during that time.

He credits Bubbles with giving him a new sense of purpose. Caring for the small dog, he explains, shifted him from feeling like a patient to becoming a caretaker himself. Manganiello alleges that Vergara mocked his attachment to Bubbles. He also claims she refused to hug him, even when he begged, and describes the marriage as having become emotionally empty during his illness.

These allegations represent his account of the relationship. Manganiello says his health began to decline shortly after his 2015 wedding to Vergara. In 2016, he underwent emergency surgery that removed part of his intestines and left him reliant on an ostomy bag.

Joe Manganiello claims in his memoir, ‘Bloodlines,’ that ex-wife Sofia Vergara ridiculed him for the chihuahua he adopted in 2019 when he was considering suicide: “I had to give my gun away because I kept thinking about it, and then the dog came. I went from being the patient to the caretaker.”

— Pop Crave (@PopCrave) October 7, 2026

Over the course of his illness, the actor lost 60 pounds and went through repeated medical investigations in search of answers. Doctors, he says, were unable to explain what triggered the condition.

He describes the experience as the most brutally difficult period of his life, telling People he hopes sharing it might give hope to others facing similar struggles. Manganiello is now reportedly symptom-free.

The memoir also takes aim at the widely reported reason for the couple’s divorce. Vergara previously told a Spanish newspaper that their marriage ended because Manganiello, who is younger, wanted children while she did not want to become an older mother.

Manganiello disputes that version of events. He says he had actually given up on having children while he was sick, because he didn’t want to die and leave Vergara raising a child who wasn’t biologically hers. He has said that some things written about him were simply false.

The couple split in 2023, and their divorce was finalized in 2024. Manganiello is now engaged to model Caitlin O’Connor. ‘Bloodlines’ isn’t only about illness or divorce. Manganiello also traces his Armenian ancestry, including his great-grandmother Terviz Darakjian, a survivor of the 1915 Armenian Genocide.

The book follows his unconventional search for healing, which included shamans, pagan rituals, ancient myths, and long-lost family records. He has described it as his untold story of survival.

The excerpt quickly went viral after Pop Crave shared it on X. Some fans said they had once found it odd how often Manganiello carried his little dog around, but now felt sympathy after learning what Bubbles meant to him.

Others urged caution, noting that only one side of the story has been told so far. Either way, the revelations have put the former couple’s marriage back in the spotlight ahead of the book’s release.

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