Joe Manganiello and Caitlin O’Connor ‘were forced to talk about having kids’ after his ex Sofia Vergara claimed they divorced over her not wanting more children

Joe Manganiello and Caitlin O’Connor were forced to talk about having children early in their relationship following Sofia Vergara’s comments about her divorce from the actor.

In January, the 50-year-old Modern Family actress said She and Manganiello, 47, split in July 2023 after seven years of marriage, saying he wanted children and she didn’t.

“The ‘children’ conversation’ is something that Joe and Caitlin are both dealing with right now because of Sofía’s statements, which make it seem like Joe is only in a relationship to have children and that he is with Caitlin because she is of ‘childbearing age,'” a source said. People on Wednesday.

The insider insisted that Caitlin “wouldn’t get into a relationship like that.”

On Tuesday, Joe denied Sofia’s claim that his desire to have children played a role in their decision to end their marriage.

In January, the 50-year-old Modern Family actress said she and Manganiello, 47, were splitting in July 2023 after seven years of marriage because he wanted kids and she didn’t; (seen in April)

“There’s been a lot of talk in the press about my desire for a family. It’s just not true,” he said Men’s diary‘The first year and a half we tried to start a family.’

“That’s because two people have grown apart, and that happens sometimes,” he explained.

“That I’m being portrayed as having some sort of midlife crisis and turning to someone after nine years and giving them an ultimatum: ‘Do this potentially unhealthy thing with your body or I’m gone?’ I’ve never been that way,” he added.

In January 2024, Vergara told the Spanish publication The country that she and Manganiello ended their relationship because he wanted children and she didn’t.

“I didn’t want to be an old mother,” she said. “I don’t think it’s fair to the baby. I respect whoever does it, but it’s not for me anymore.”

She continued, “I had a son at 19, who is now 32, and I’m ready to be a grandmother, not a mother. So when love comes, he has to come with me. [his own] children.’

People’s source said, “The El País interview is just not true. Sofia made it sound like it was Joe who turned to her at almost 50 and said, ‘Let’s have a baby now.’ They tried to have kids at the beginning of their marriage… That didn’t happen.”

The insider said, echoing Joe, that the former couple had simply “grown apart.”

Joe and Sofia announced their separation last July.

“We have made the difficult decision to separate. As two people who love and care for each other deeply, we politely ask that our privacy be respected at this time as we navigate this new phase of our lives,” they said in a statement.

“There’s been a lot of press about me wanting a family. That’s just not true,” Joe told the publication. “We spent the first year and a half trying to start a family.”

“The ‘children’ conversation’ is something that Joe and Caitlin are both dealing with right now because of Sofía’s comments, which make it seem like Joe is only in a relationship to have kids and that he’s with Caitlin because she’s of ‘childbearing age,'” a source told People on Wednesday.

In January 2024, Vergara told Spanish publication El País that she and Manganiello had broken up because he wanted children and she didn’t.

Just two days after the True Blood actor announced their split, he filed for divorce, setting the date as July 2.

‘Irreconcilable differences’ were cited as the reason for the end of their marriage.

After their divorce, Sofia finds solace in a new relationship with orthopedic surgeon Justin Saliman.

Meanwhile, Joe and Caitlin recently enjoyed a “very romantic trip” to Paris, where they stayed in a hotel with a view of the Eiffel Tower.