Sofía Vergara’s Tattoo Trick: How the star keeps her ex’s initial post-split

Sofía Vergara and Joe Manganiello may have parted ways, but the Modern Family star has found a clever way to keep a tattoo of her ex-husband. During a candid interview on The Talk, Vergara shared the story behind her two tattoos and revealed how she’s repurposing one that commemorates Manganiello.

Vergara, who also stars in Netflix’s Griselda, explained that she has only two tattoos, each with deep personal significance. On her left wrist, she has the initials of her late brother. On her right wrist, she has the letter “J,” which originally stood for Joe Manganiello. “This was Joe Manganiello’s initial,” Vergara said. “But now he’s gone.” The audience responded with applause, appreciating her honesty and resilience.

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However, Vergara has no plans to remove or alter the tattoo, thanks to a fortunate twist. “How lucky can I be that the guy I’m going out [with] has the same initial?” she revealed, referring to her new boyfriend, Dr. Justin Saliman. With a mischievous smile, she added, “Recycle, recycle,” turning the situation into a clever and light-hearted joke, leaving the audience impressed and amused.

Vergara and Manganiello’s relationship began in 2014 after her Modern Family costar Jesse Tyler Ferguson introduced them at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner. Their whirlwind romance quickly led to an engagement by the end of that year, and they tied the knot in a lavish ceremony in November 2015. However, the couple announced their separation in July 2023 and finalized their divorce in February.

Vergara revealed the reason for her divorce from Manganiello last year after the unexpected announcement; “I’m newly divorced from my second husband, who I was with for 10 years. My marriage broke up because my husband was younger,” she said to El País during a recent interview, adding that “He wanted to have kids and I didn’t want to be an old mom.”

“I feel it’s not fair to the baby. I respect whoever does it, but that’s not for me anymore,” she explained. “I had a son at 19, who is now 32, and I’m ready to be a grandmother, not a mother.”