From high school sweetheart to $600M star: Sofia Vergara's dating history before 'AGT' judge found true love with Joe Manganiello
BEVERLY HILLS, CALIFORNIA: After dropping out of dental school, Colombian native Sofia Vergara tried her luck in acting before becoming one of Hollywood's biggest names. The 50-year-old has revolutionized the film industry after snagging the popular Gloria character on 'Modern Family', dominating it with films like 'Machete Kills', 'Hot Pursuit', and 'Chef'. To viewers' surprise, Vergara returned alongside Howie Mandel on the Season 18 premiere of 'America’s Got Talent' which aired on Tuesday, May 30 on NBC.
According to Pop Sugar, the 'Modern Family' alum has had relationships with a few well-known individuals besides her successful career. Vergara has been in her fair share of relationships, from marrying her high school love and father of Manolo Gonzalez, Joe Gonzalez, to the embryo litigation involving her ex, Nick Loeb. The actress allegedly dated Tom Cruise as well. Vergara and 'Spider-Man' actor Joe Manganiello have been blissfully married for eight years, but that won't deter us from taking a trip down memory lane and recalling some of her previous romances.
Sofia married her high school sweetheart: Joe Gonzalez
Although Sofia Vergara and Joe Gonzalez's romance did not last, they did have a lovely boy and formed a lifelong friendship. Vergara had her first marriage when she was 18 years old, and she gave birth to Manolo Gonzalez Vergara when she was 19 years old. "My high school sweetheart, the only one. We married and had a son, Manolo," she told Parade.
Gonzalez and Vergara continue to co-parent their kid in harmony. "We are still close friends. When Jose comes to the United States, he stays with me," the 'Modern Family' actor stated. In 1994, Vergara and her young son relocated to Miami from Colombia, and the future TV star dedicated herself fully to being a single mother. In 2016, she stated to People, "I was really young when I divorced his father, so I raised him trying to set the best example and give him the best that I could."
Sofia dated a mobster: Chris Paciello
Vergara and Miami club owner Chris Paciello reportedly started dating after meeting in the late '90s, according to the New York Post. Their relationship, however, changed after the turn of the millennium when Paciello, a mob associate, was accused of murder and robbery in 2000.
Vergara, who claimed to be his ex, attended his trial and even offered to assist in paying his hefty bond, as The New York Times reported at the time. In the end, Paciello spent six years behind bars. Paciello and Vergara have stayed friends over the years.
Sofia dated musician Luis Miguel
Unverified rumors have been spread concerning relationships with celebrities, including Luis Miguel, Donal Logue, and Enrique Iglesias. The Mexican musician Luis Miguel and the 'Modern Family' actress allegedly dated for a short period in 1995, but neither has confirmed nor denied the relationship.
An audition of a lifetime: Tom Cruise
In 2008, celebrity biographer Andrew Morton published 'Tom Cruise: An Unauthorized Biography', and the book quickly shot to bestseller status. Morton mentioned the rumored romance between the 'Top Gun' actor and Sofia Vergara in it. Following Will Smith's introduction of them at a pre-Oscars party, the 'Top Gun' actor allegedly started pursuing Vergara.
Eventually, Cruise and Vergara were seen out together, according to Morton's account in the New York Post. Their relationship did not last long, but according to Morton's biography, things rapidly became serious. Morton claims that the failure of the relationship was due to Vergara's difficulties with the religious aspect. "It was made clear that if she took the part, she would have to renounce her Catholic faith and convert to Scientology," Morton claimed.
A relationship that legally ended: Nick Loeb
After two years of being in a relationship, Vergara and entrepreneur Nick Loeb announced their separation in 2014. Beginning in 2010, Vergara and Loeb's relationship experienced several ups and downs; just months before becoming engaged in 2012, they briefly broke up. The couple engaged in an ongoing legal dispute from 2015 to 2017 regarding the usage of frozen embryos they produced through in vitro fertilization.
Prince charming, Joe Manganiello
Vergara finally found happiness with the 'True Blood' actor Joe Manganiello after a brief marriage, an affair with a gangster, multiple reported relationships, and an embryo fight. The couple began dating in 2014, and they moved ahead right away. Manganiello proposed to the Colombian model on Christmas Day, and the couple got married in November 2015.
"Our first date was in June, and then I proposed to her on Christmas Eve; [we dated for] about six months," Manganiello expressed to Haute Living. "When you know, you know, and we knew right away—like, very quickly."
As of now, the 50-year-old Columbian beauty is busy being the judge of the 'America's Got Talent' season 18, which aired on Tuesday, May 30 on NBC. Along with Vergara, who took a sabbatical while 'All-Stars' aired earlier this year, Heidi Klum also makes her return to the show.