Joe Manganiello details seven-year illness and large intestine removal
- Actor Joe Manganiello revealed in an interview on CBS Mornings that a seven-year mystery illness nearly took his life, forcing surgeons to remove his entire large intestine, Fox...
- Manganiello's health crisis escalated around 2016, roughly a year after he began developing unexplained symptoms and about a month after he collapsed on a production set, Fox News...
- Surgeons ultimately removed his entire large intestine to save his life, leaving him with an ostomy bag.
Actor Joe Manganiello revealed in an interview on CBS Mornings that a seven-year mystery illness nearly took his life, forcing surgeons to remove his entire large intestine, Fox News reported. Manganiello detailed the medical crisis while discussing his memoir, Bloodlines, which was released on October 13, 2026. He told host Gayle King that he lived in secret with the condition for seven years while managing his career and personal life, according to Fox News.
The Symptoms and Emergency Surgery in 2016
Manganiello’s health crisis escalated around 2016, roughly a year after he began developing unexplained symptoms and about a month after he collapsed on a production set, Fox News reported. That collapse preceded a phone call offering him the villain role of Deathstroke in Ben Affleck’s canceled Batman movie. Instead of taking on the blockbuster project, Manganiello spent two months hospitalized as doctors struggled to diagnose the mysterious ailment.
Surgeons ultimately removed his entire large intestine to save his life, leaving him with an ostomy bag. Manganiello stated that he lost approximately 60 pounds in two weeks, temporarily lost the ability to walk, developed crossed eyes, lost his voice, and required five catheters during his recovery, according to Fox News.
Medical Decisions Made While Unconscious
During the most critical phase of his hospitalization, Manganiello remained unconscious while medical staff consulted his then-wife, Sofia Vergara, as his next of kin. Physicians presented Vergara with multiple treatment options, and Manganiello told King that she chose the right one, a decision that bought him necessary time. The couple married in 2015, announced their separation in 2023, and finalized their divorce in 2024, Fox News reported.
Manganiello noted that the multi-year health battle placed significant strain on his marriage. During the CBS Mornings interview, King also referenced a social media post by Vergara’s son, Manolo Gonzalez Vergara, regarding a narcissistic man, which Vergara apparently liked. In response, Manganiello urged the public to read his memoir before passing judgment, emphasizing that the book focuses on his personal suffering and the hidden ordeal he endured.