Joe Manganiello recently spoke about a severe health challenge that nearly ended his life over seven years ago. He shared his experiences during an interview with "CBS Mornings", discussing his newly published memoir, Bloodlines.
During the interview, Manganiello disclosed he was offered the role of Deathstroke, the main villain, in a canceled Batman movie directed by Ben Affleck. Around the same time as this offer in 2016, he faced a dire health situation.
Manganiello had to undergo surgery to remove his entire large intestine in 2016 to save his life.
The actor recounted to Gayle King, "About a month after I got out of the hospital and collapsed on another set, I received the call. After dealing with mystery symptoms for nearly a year, I spent two months in the hospital. In the end, they had to remove my large intestine."
He explained, "My intestine was filled with pus, ready to burst. They removed it, leaving me with an ostomy bag. Afterwards, I lost 60 pounds in two weeks, couldn’t walk, and faced multiple health issues including losing my voice."
The actor was recovering when he received the call regarding the Batman role. At that time, he was still married to Sofia Vergara, who made critical medical decisions to save his life.
Vergara was contacted as Manganiello’s next of kin, tasked with choosing a course of action while Manganiello was unconscious. Manganiello credited her for making the decision to remove his intestine, which bought him vital time.
King acknowledged, "We must credit her for saving your life." Manganiello agreed.
Manganiello’s memoir also discusses how this mysterious illness strained his marriage to Vergara. They married in 2015, separated in 2023, and finalized their divorce in 2024. He noted, "The pain was overwhelming, affecting both of us in unpredictable ways. Only those close to me knew."
Sofia Vergara’s son, Manolo Gonzalez Vergara, made a post about dealing with narcissistic individuals, which Vergara endorsed. King inquired about this post’s implications regarding Manganiello.
Manganiello responded, encouraging people to read his memoir to understand his journey beyond these claims.
Bloodlines: A Memoir was released on October 13.
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