Actress and America’s Got Talent judge Sofia Vergara, 51, has become a household name since she broke out on Modern Family over a decade ago. And although she played a hilarious mom on the hit sitcom for many seasons, she is actually also a mother in real life! The brunette beauty took to Instagram back in May 2023 to celebrate Mother’s Day with her son, Manolo Gonzalez Vergara, 32, and her now-ex husband, Joe Manganiello, 47. “Feliz mother’s day!!”, she captioned the carousel of photos with the two men.
In July 2023, Sofia and Joe announced that they decided to end their marriage after nearly eight years as husband and wife. We have made the difficult decision to divorce,” the two said in a statement to Page Six. “As two people that love and care for one another very much, we politely ask for respect of our privacy at this time as we navigate this new phase of our lives.” The ex power couple tied the knot in Nov. 2015 and did not welcomed any children together. Sofia has since revealed that her not wanting to have more kids played a part in her split from Joe.
Who Is Sofia Vergara’s Son?
Sofia welcomed her son, Manolo, with her first husband, Joe Gonzalez, in Sept. 1991. Her 32-year-old son ended up pursuing a career in acting just like his A-lister momma. A few of his projects include White Rabbit, Destined to Ride, and Guilty Party. Not only has Manolo ended up being a successful actor, but he’s also acted alongside Sofia in the hit movie, Hot Pursuit, starring Reese Witherspoon.
Aside from his work as an actor, Manolo is often spotted supporting his mom at work, including her tapings for AGT. “Never a dull moment at @agtauditions @agt,” he captioned a behind-the-scenes clip on Apr. 15. Prior to that, he attended the premiere of his step-father’s show, Moon Haven, on June 28, 2022. “Congrats, Joe! The show is awesome! #Moonhaven on AMC+ 7/7/2022!!!!!!!”, he captioned the selfie with his mom and Joe.
What Sofia Vergara Has Said About Motherhood
The doting mom frequently shares throwback photos via Instagram of her and Manolo, in addition to current photos. In Apr. 2020, she shared a sweet throwback photo with her son when he was just a toddler. “#tbt The 90’s Miami,” she captioned the sweet snapshot at the time. Nearly three years later, Sofia shared another flashback photo with her son from the 1990s. “#tbt the 90s,” she captioned the post, along with a red heart emoji.
Since Sofia became a mom when she was 19 years old, she understood that would change her life. During a 2011 interview with RedBook Magazine, the AGT judge revealed what made it harder to be a young mom. “It’s a big responsibility; you can’t go out much at night. Instead of buying a pair of shoes, you have to buy diapers. When you have a kid, you have to be more mature,” Sofia said at the time. Although she listed the cons, she also noted what the pros were. “I do think it was fantastic to have a kid young. My friends now are all panicking if they haven’t found somebody to have kids with. It was never like that for me because I already had the kid!”, she added.
Her Frozen Embryo Battle With Her Ex
In recent years, Sofia reached a legal victory after her ex boyfriend, Nick Loeb, attempted to use frozen embryos they made together without her consent. The duo broke off their engagement in 2014, about one year after they created frozen pre-embryos via IVF. His now-ex filed court documents in California in 2017 to block Nick from using the embryos without her consent, according to PEOPLE. Ultimately, a Los Angeles court ruled in favor of the Wild Card star to block her ex from using the embryos “without the explicit written permission of the other person,” per the court documents obtained by the outlet in Mar. 2021. In 2020, Nick directed and starred in the movie, Roe v. Wade, about the real-life supreme court case on abortion laws in the United States.
Does Sofia Vergara Want More Children?
Sofia is not interested in having more children. In fact, the Griselda star revealed in January 2024 that her and Joe were not on the same page about expanding their family, which is why they split.
“Well, I’m newly divorced from my second husband, who I was with for 10 years. My marriage broke up because my husband was younger,” she told Spanish newspaper El País. “He wanted to have kids and I didn’t want to be an old mom. I feel it’s not fair to the baby. 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.”
“So, if love comes along, he has to come with [his own] children. I’m almost in menopause, it’s the natural way of things,” Sofia also said. “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.”