‘True Blood’ Alum Opens up About 7-Year Health Battle that Nearly ‘Took His Life’

True Blood alum Joe Manganiello is speaking out following a seven-year health battle that nearly took his life.

During his recent appearance on CBS Mornings, the actor recalled being offered the role of Deathstroke in Ben Affleck’s canceled Batman film. However, as he was getting the offer, Manganiello said he felt like he was “dying.”

“I got the call about a month out of the hospital after I collapsed on another set,” he explained to CBS Mornings host Gayle King. “After about a year of feeling these mystery symptoms, I went into the hospital for two months straight and, at the end of my stay, they wound up having to remove my entire large intestine to save my life.”

Continuing to detail the situation, Manganiello said, “They had split me open. My entire large intestine had turned to pus, and it was about to explode. They took it out, and the surgery left me with an ostomy bag. And in the wake of that, I lost 60 pounds in two weeks. I couldn’t walk. My eye went cross-eyed. I lost my voice. I had five catheters.”

The actor pointed out that his then-wife, Sofia Vergara, was the one who ultimately made the decision to have his large intestine removed.

“They had to call her as my next of kin and give her options of what she thought I would want done to me while I was unconscious. She chose the right one, and it bought me time,” he said. “It didn’t solve the problem. The doctors still had no idea what was causing this, how to treat it. But it bought me enough time.”

King then said, “But we do have to credit her for saving your life. For making that decision.”

To which Manganiello replied, “Absolutely.”

King noted that the actor shared details about the situation in his new memoir, Bloodlines. In the book, he revealed that the health battle strained his marriage to Vergara. The couple separated in 2023 and then officially divorced in 2024.

“That kind of pain was like a flood in my life. You can’t predict how that’s going to affect people. It affected me a certain way, it affected her,” Manganiello shared. “It was seven years long. People didn’t know about it. I was living in secret with this. Only the closest people around me knew.”

Manganiello’s memoir is now in stores.