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Some celebrity divorces don’t get ugly until years later.

In his memoir, Joe Manganiello details his nearly fatal health battle — and how his wife grew unsupportive and even cruel.

Now, Sofia Vergara appears to be sharing her side, characterizing her ex-husband as a narcissist whom she could never have made happy.

What does he have to say about that? Who’s right?

How is a ‘good man’ unlike a ‘narcissistic man’ according to Sofia Vergara?

In a recent Instagram Story post, Sofia Vergara shared an informative chart.

The graphic, which her adult son had previously shared, compared a “good man” to a “narcissistic man.”

After listing a series of contrasts, the graphic says that, whatever you do, it will “never be enough” for narcissists.

This is probably useful for many people to contextualize toxic exes or even see current bad relationships through a new lens.

But many believe that this was a direct blast at Joe Manganiello, her ex-husband.

Manganiello’s new memoir, Bloodlines, describes his near-fatal autoimmune disorder.

Within the book, he portrays his ex as unsupportive — even as callous and uncaring — as his illness ravaged his health.

Vergara’s graphic says that “they’ll always somehow try to paint you as the bad guy.”

While we cannot say whether Manganiello is a narcissist, it’s safe to say that his ex does not come out smelling like roses in his memoir.

But what does the man himself have to say about it? He got just that chance on Monday.

Joe Manganiello opens up to @GayleKing about how his life-threatening health battle affected his marriage to ex-wife Sofía Vergara, including a moment he writes about in his memoir, when he says she refused to give him a hug.

The actor also responds to criticism from Vergara’s son, who appeared to call him a narcissist, saying people should “read the book first.”

— CBS Mornings (@CBSMornings) October 12, 2026

How did he respond?

On Monday, October 12, Joe Manganiello appeared on CBS Mornings to promote his book.

There, Gayle King told him about the Instagram Story post and asked him for his response.

“Well, I think anybody who said that should read the book first,” Manganiello replied.

“And understand what the book is actually about,” he continued, “because it’s not about that.”

Manganiello clarified: “It’s about the suffering I went through.” It is also about “survival and it’s also about hope.“

For a long time, people assumed that this divorce between celebrity hotties was over something more conventional — like their age gap. (Manganiello is slightly younger.)

The descriptions of heartbreaking moments, like Vergara refusing to hug her then-husband at one point, paint a very different picture. Are they true?

It is possible that Manganiello’s health battle took a terrible toll on the marriage. Not everyone is willing to take care of or even just wait for a sick spouse. Most of the time, it is a husband leaving a sick wife, but not always.

At the same time, it is conceivable that Manganiello is misremembering — or even twisting — real events to make his ex into a villain.

We have to stress that we do not know. It is always important to remember that two people can be good but not quite right for each other, and that this can sometimes take years or relationship stressors to uncover.

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