Why Sofia Vergara Didn’t Think It Would Be ‘Fair’ for Her to Have Another Child

Sofía Vergara is opening up about her decision not to have children with her ex-husband Joe Manganiello, telling PEOPLE she didn’t think it was “fair” to have kids with the Magic Mike actor prior to their July 2023 decision to divorce.

“There’s things in life that might sound like good ideas, but they’re not,” the Modern Family star, 51, told the outlet, noting that she was already a mother to 32-year-old son Manolo Gonzalez Vergara, whom she had with ex-husband Joe Gonzalez. “I know what it means to be a good mother or to try to be the best mother that you can, and that takes a lot of sacrifices, takes a lot of energy.”

The Griselda star added that while she could have gone forward with having another child via “science,” she ultimately decided it wasn’t right for her. “I totally respect where anyone wants to be a mom after 50,” the actress explained. “I didn’t think because of my career, the way I live my life, the way my marriage was, that it was fair to bring a kid to this world, and I’m not going to be able to give 100 percent.”

It was Manganiello’s desire to have children that ultimately led to the end of the couple’s seven-year marriage, Vergara told El País in January 2024. “My marriage broke up because my husband was younger; he wanted to have kids, and I didn’t want to be an old mom,” she told the outlet at the time of the 41-year-old True Blood actor. The America’s Got Talent judge explained, “I had a son at 19, who is now 32, and I’m ready to be a grandmother, not a mother,” adding, “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.”

The former couple, who tied the knot in 2015, has since divorced and moved on with their respective new partners. Vergara revealed she was dating orthopedic surgeon Justin Saliman in October 2023, while the Deal or No Deal Island star was first spotted with girlfriend Caitlin O’Connor in September 2023.