Sofia Vergara opens up about ‘difficult year’ after divorce from Joe Manganiello

Sofia Vergara is reflecting on a turbulent year — and looking forward to 2024.

The “Modern Family” alum confirmed in July that she and fellow actor Joe Manganiello are divorcing after seven years together. Vergara famously walked off the stage after her fellow “America’s Got Talent” judge Howie Mandel mocked the split on air in September.

The Colombian actor is now sharing how difficult the last few months have been.

“It’s been a very interesting year for me,” Vergara told People in an exclusive interview Thursday. “I don’t want to sound ‘bad’ or anything like that, but it’s been very interesting and very difficult.”

Vergara added, “I got divorced this year, the SAG strike went on for a long time.”

The Screen Actors Guild and the Writers Guild of America united earlier this year to demand increased pay for actors on successful streaming shows, as well as protections from the use of artificial intelligence and digital likeness on screen.

This significant effort began in July and ended in October after 118 days.

“I’ve seen my friends struggle — some have had to pull their kids out of their schools or they’ve had problems with their mortgages, so it’s been a weird, weird year,” Vergara told People in reference to the thousands of people in Hollywood. Said to. They were left without work.

The strike came at a particularly difficult time for Vergara, who had announced her divorce that same month. Doubts about their separation arose after her joint statement with Manganiello, as Vergara posted from her 51st birthday vacation in Italy without him.

“We have made the difficult decision to divorce,” the former couple told People at the time. “As two people who love and care for each other very much, we politely ask that our privacy be respected at this time as we enter this new phase of our lives “

Vergara has remained busy despite these setbacks, and has already completed shooting the new Netflix series “Griselda,” in which she plays real-life drug mafia Griselda Blanco, who kills anyone who gets in her way. Was brutally murdered.

Asked if 2024 would mark a new beginning, Vergara shared a fairly balanced view: “I hope so. I don’t know if there is such a thing as a new beginning at 51. I don’t know if I’m fresh now or not, but I’m just excited.