What Sofia Vergara's Exes Have Said About Her

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Sofia Vergara is undeniably one of Hollywood's most stunning stars, and it's almost hard to believe she's currently single — or at least not in a serious relationship (as of this writing). But according to Vergara, dating isn't exactly at the top of her mind these days, especially as she's embracing her 50s. That said, she's not entirely ruling out finding love again.

"It's already hard for a fifty-something-year-old woman to find someone. I'm not going to be now picky about, 'Oh, he can only be a doctor. Oh, he can only be an astronaut.' No, I mean, I'm not that picky," she told People. And after a few relationships that didn't end happily ever after, Vergara's picked up some hard-earned lessons about love. "It's tricky. You never know what the future is going to bring," she added. "You need to always give the best that you can, be the best person to the other person. Be there for them when they need you, when they're going through the hardest time. Hopefully that will one day come back to you."

What's even more impressive is Vergara's ability to keep things low-key when it comes to her exes, and they have mostly returned the favor. In fact, even if she's had her share of high-profile romances, if you're digging for drama from her former flames, know that you'll be sorely disappointed. The few times her exes have spoken about her, it's been more about admiration than airing grievances. What can she say? Vergara clearly knows how to leave a lasting impression.

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Joe Manganiello and Sofia Vergara were Hollywood's ultimate power couple for almost a decade — until they weren't. While their split was initially framed as amicable, the exes have since offered very different versions of what went wrong, with Vergara blaming their split on one thing: babies. Already a proud mom to her adult son, Manolo, the "Modern Family" star wasn't about to dive back into diaper duty. "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 shared with El País. "I feel it's not fair to the baby. I respect whoever does it, but that's not for me anymore."

Manganiello, however, has a different version of events. For his part, babies — or the lack thereof — weren't the issue. "We did try to have a family for the first year and a half. And we had a huge conversation right out of the gate during the first month we dated," he told Men's Journal. "I said, 'If you're done with kids, then I understand. Just tell me, and I'll know what this is, and that's okay.' But that wasn't the case with her. And I swore to her that I would never leave if it didn't work out. And I didn't." Ultimately, Manganiello attributed their breakup to something simpler: their relationship had run its course. "It's because two people grew apart," he added. "And sometimes that happens."

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If Joe Manganiello and Sofia Vergara's split wasn't about kids, her breakup with Nick Loeb certainly was — or at least it became that way. Initially, though, the ex-couple blamed their separation on busy schedules. "We have [been] having too many problems with figuring out how to spend time together and [because] of my work and now his, its been getting worse and worse, not fun anymore," she shared in her now-defunct WhoSay account. "We are still very close but we [believe this] is the best thing for us right now."

Things got messy, however, when Loeb, long after the breakup, decided to pursue access to the embryos they had created while together. In 2015, Loeb filed a complaint to preserve the embryos, hoping to bring them to life, explaining in a New York Times op-ed that he had just as much right to them as Vergara did. "I asked her to let me have the embryos, offering to pay for all expenses to carry our girls to term and raise them. If she did not wish to share custody, I would take on full parenting responsibilities and agree to have her declared an egg donor. She has refused," he wrote. Vergara, for her part, countersued, and in 2021, the court sided with the actor, ruling that Loeb would be unable "to create a child without the explicit written permission of the other person," per documents obtained by People.

Despite the legal battle, Loeb insists he harbors no hard feelings toward Vergara — or so he says. "I think Sofia is a wonderful, wonderful woman," he claimed in a "Today" guest appearance (via Time). "I don't hate her at all."

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One of Sofia Vergara's more eyebrow-raising exes has to be Chris Paciello, the infamous Miami club owner who dominated the nightlife scene in the 2000s. While Paciello wasn't exactly a celebrity, his relationship with Vergara certainly turned heads. Paciello has never spilled any details about their romance, but an insider once told the New York Post that the two were practically inseparable when they were together. "They seemed very much in love," they claimed.

Vanity Fair even reported that Vergara was Paciello's "longest and most serious relationship." But for a love so serious, most of the public barely knew it existed. Vergara stayed tight-lipped about the whole thing, but actions speak louder than words — like when she reportedly volunteered her property in Miami to be collateral for his $15 million bail after he pleaded guilty to racketeering charges. Predictably, their romance ended when Paciello landed behind bars. During his prison stint, their relationship quietly fizzled out, and Vergara moved on to greener — and let's just say less legally complicated — pastures.

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Blink and you might've missed it, but back in 2005, Tom Cruise and Sofia Vergara were briefly a thing. According to Andrew Morton's "Tom Cruise: An Unauthorized Biography," the "Top Gun" star made the first move, reportedly adding Vergara to his list of potential wives. (Yes, apparently, he had a whole list.) Will Smith played matchmaker, introducing the two at a party, and Cruise went into full-on love-bombing mode, showering Vergara with gifts. But the romance hit a dead end when Vergara got wind of Cruise's deep ties to Scientology. "She was fundamentally terrified of Scientology," a friend of hers told Morton. "She sincerely believed that she would be struck down by God and burn in hell if she joined."

Fast forward to decades later — Vergara split from Joe Manganiello, Cruise divorced Katie Holmes, and rumor has it Cruise wanted to rekindle the flame. According to an insider, Cruise deeply regretted letting Vergara go and hoped to test the waters again. "It's always eaten away at Tom that he dumped Sofia and chose Katie," they shared with Heat Magazine (via The Mirror). While their fling was short-lived, the source added that the two had "a special time partying in the Hollywood Hills and having a blast." Whether Vergara was into the idea is another story, but knowing her, she probably isn't lining up for a Scientology membership anytime soon.

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Before Sofia Vergara married Joe Manganiello, she was married to another Joe — her high school sweetheart, José "Joe" González. The two tied the knot at just 18 years old and welcomed their son Manolo shortly after. At the time, Vergara had dreams of pursuing a career in medicine, but González and their relatives weren't exactly supportive. "What I was really interested in was medical school, but my husband and everyone said, 'You're a woman trying to have a family. You can't be a doctor on call,'" she told Parade. "The next best thing was dental school." Their marriage was short-lived, though, and they broke up just after two years, but according to Vergara, they're on good terms. "We're still close friends," she added. "When José comes to the United States, he stays with me."

Vergara insinuated once, though, that she practically raised Manolo alone, so it's safe to say that they're not really as in tune with co-parenting, although it's worth noting that Vergara and Manolo moved to the U.S. and González presumably stayed in Colombia when Vergara was trying to make it big in Hollywood. "Now that I look back, I never really needed the help of anyone. Of course I had help, my manager and my agent, but not really someone that was a husband or a boyfriend," she shared with Harper's Bazaar Arabia. "So yeah, it does feel great to look back and know I've done it all by myself. It's rewarding."