Joe Manganiello Says Sofía Vergara's Claim That They Divorced After Disagreement on Kids Is 'Not True'

"It's because two people grew apart, and sometimes that happens," Manganiello said, sharing his frustrations with how the divorce affected the perception of his character

Joe Manganiello is breaking his silence about why he and his ex-wife Sofía Vergara decided to divorce after seven years of marriage.

The True Blood alum, 47, addressed Vergara's comments about the dissolution of their marriage in a new interview with Men's Journal.

The Modern Family star, 52, told El País in January that she and Manganiello weren't on the same page when it came to expanding their family. She said the difference ultimately led to their divorce, which was confirmed by PEOPLE in July 2023.

"My marriage broke up because my husband was younger; he wanted to have kids and I didn’t want to be an old mom," Vergara explained to the outlet the time. "I feel it’s not fair to the baby. I respect whoever does it, but that’s not for me anymore."

Related: Sofía Vergara Explains Her Decision Not to Have More Kids: Some Things Only 'Sound Like Good Ideas' (Exclusive)

But now, in an interview with Men's Journal published on July 16, Manganiello is addressing Vergara's claims, saying they were "simply not true."

“We did try to have a family for the first year and a half. And we had a huge conversation right out of the gate during the first month we dated," he recalled. "I said, 'If you're done with kids, then I understand. Just tell me, and I'll know what this is, and that's okay.' But that wasn't the case with her. And I swore to her that I would never leave if it didn't work out. And I didn't."

While Manganiello did want to have children, he said that their disagreement "wasn't inevitably why everything ended."

Related: Joe Manganiello and Caitlin O'Connor Are 'Going Strong' 1 Year After His Divorce: Exclusive Source

"It's because two people grew apart, and sometimes that happens," he explained, sharing his frustrations with how the framing of their separation had affected public perceptions of his character.

“To be painted as if I had some sort of midlife crisis, and after nine years, turned to somebody and gave them an ultimatum of, 'Do this potentially unhealthy thing to your body, or else I'm gone'? That’s never who I was," he added.

PEOPLE has reached out to Vergara's reps for comment.

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In July 2023, Vergara and Manganiello released a joint statement, saying that after seven years of marriage, they made the “difficult decision” to divorce. "As two people that love and care for one another very much, we politely ask for respect for our privacy at this time as we navigate this new phase of our lives,” they wrote.

Two days later, Manganiello filed for divorce, citing "irreconcilable differences" as the reason for the dissolution of the marriage, according to divorce documents obtained by PEOPLE. He listed the date of separation as July 2.

In May, Vergara opened up to PEOPLE about her decision to not have more kids. (The actress is already mother to son Manolo, 32, whom she shares with her high school sweetheart ex-husband.)

"There’s things in life that might sound like good ideas, but they’re not," she explained. "I was a mother already. 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."

Noting that "thanks to science, women can actually have babies older," she added, "Before, nature for some reason tells your body at 50 you are in menopause, it’s time for you to be done with that. There is a reason why nature is doing that. But that’s for me, and I totally respect where anyone wants to be a mom after 50."

"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," Vergara said.

In the time since their divorce, the former pair have each moved on. Manganiello has been dating actress Caitlin O'Connor, while Vergara has moved on with orthopedic surgeon Justin Saliman.

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