Sofía Vergara and Joe Manganiello recently announced their divorce, surprising many fans and leading people to speculate about what exactly went wrong. Now a source has said that the marriage had been "stifling" for Sofía.
"She’s spending time with her friends after being stifled in a relationship with a largely unsupportive partner," a source told Page Six. "Sofía was always there to take care of Joe, while his career was never what it was when they met. I think he’s been threatened by her success and joie de vivre."
The source also said "Sofía’s living her best life," which appears to be the case, based on the star's recent Instagram posts that show her celebrating her 51st birthday in Italy with friends.
Though many thought the couple had a great relationship, some fans suspected something might be wrong when Joe wished Sofía a happy birthday on Instagram in a way that they perceived as impersonal.
"¡¡¡Feliz Cumpleaños Sofía!!!" he wrote in the post.
"Am I the only one who doesn’t like the way it sounds?" one person commented before the divorce was announced. “'Sofia'…. not even 'My love, My beloved wife' …."
Another echoed the concerns, writing: "Something is off. Cold message for her and has two stories about his dog’s birthday. And sofia has not even said thank you."
More from LittleThings: Family-Friendly 'Americana-Themed' Park The Size Of Disney Will Open In Oklahoma In 2024
Some Instagram users wrote comments after the divorce announcement, writing that the post made sense after learning that the couple was no longer together.
"This is why you said Sofia," one user wrote, adding a crying emoji. "You were not even together."
Some suspect the divorce was because Joe wanted to have children with Sofía, but as someone who already has a son, Sofía did not share that desire. Multiple sources have said this was a reason for their separation. Others wondered if the issue was related to drinking habits, since Joe doesn't drink and Sofía does.
A friend of the former couple denied that claim, telling Page Six that "Joe is fully secure and at one with his sobriety."
"While sobriety is a continuous practice, his ongoing commitment to being sober was never in any way threatened by being married to someone who drinks responsibly," the friend told Page Six. "It’s a pathetic attempt to come up with an excuse.”
"Sofía seems to be doing absolutely fine — she has all the time and the money in the world to do whatever she wants next," the source said. “Joe seems a little more dejected but also resolute in knowing this was the right way to go."
The source added that a lot of their friends suspect that Joe will go on to start a relationship with someone younger so he can start a family.
The friend also added that despite of their incompatibility, "physical chemistry" kept their relationship going. Eventually, it wasn't enough.
"Neither of them cheated. They very much did their own thing for large stretches of time and were frequently apart, but they were always able to still feel that passion for each other when they saw each other, but that flame has now gone out," the friend shared.
Shortly after the divorce announcement, several sources revealed to People that the couple had been dealing with issues in their relationship for some time.
"They definitely love and respect each other but once that initial passion dies down and other areas get in the way, then little differences get bigger,” a source told People.
Another source told the Daily Mail that the couple's differences became more apparent over time and they got annoyed with each other.
"Then bit by bit, they stopped wanting to be together and stopped hanging out because something so little would often trigger an attitude that would bug them, just their attitudes on everything were completely different and something like that is extremely draining for a relationship and they got to the point where it would be a good day and one thing would be said or done and they would just get upset with each other," the source said.
Daily Mail reported that sources said Sofía and Joe have very different personalities and interests.
"Joe is a big kid, he loves playing Dungeons & Dragons, he loves wrestling, he is all about video games, superhero movies, comic books, going to concerts, huge NFL fan. He chases fun," a source said. "This was immediately an attraction for Sofía who is completely the opposite, sure she loves having a good time and going out, but she is more concerned with the finer things in life, the trips, lavish dinners, being a celebrity, and everything that comes with all of that."
