Sofía Vergara gets real about Joe Manganiello divorce: ‘He wanted to have kids and I didn’t want to be an old mom’

Sofía Vergara and Joe Manganiello made headlines last year when news broke they were splitting up after seven years of marriage. The True Blood star filed for divorce in July, and rumors began circulating that the reason was because he wanted kids and his wife didn’t. In an honest new interview, Vergara confirmed that the speculation was accurate.

“My marriage broke up because my husband was younger; he wanted to have kids and I didn’t want to be an old mom,” the Colombian actor told Spanish newspaper El Pais. “I feel it’s not fair to the baby. I respect whoever does it, but that’s not for me anymore. I had a son at 19, who is now 32, and I’m ready to be a grandmother, not a mother.”

Vergara shares her son, Manolo Gonzalez Vergara, with ex-husband Joe Gonzalez. “I’m almost in menopause; it’s the natural way of things,” the 51-year-old Modern Family star said bluntly. “When my son becomes a dad, let him bring the baby to me for a while and then I’ll give it back to him and go on with my life; that’s what I have to do.”

This isn’t the first time Vergara has had to defend her choice not to have more children. She was ensnared in a years-long legal battle with her ex-fíance Nick Loeb over the custody rights of frozen pre-embryos the couple created through IVF during their time together. The judge ultimately ruled in her favor, preventing Loeb from “[creating] a child without the explicit written permission of [Vergara].”

Though freshly divorced, Vergara is open to another relationship, but she’s putting her foot down in the future. “If love comes along, he has to come with [his own] children,” she declared.

Vergara’s choice to not have more children was from a personal standpoint; however, there are medical reasons why a 51-year-old should think twice before trying to conceive. “Geriatric pregnancy” is a term that sounds offensive to some, but the truth is that more complications arise in child-bearing people after age 35. As ovaries age, the quantity and quality of eggs decline, which can lead to challenges with fertility and increase the risk of miscarriage, genetic disorders, and pregnancy complications like high blood pressure and gestational diabetes.

It’s commendable to choose a parenthood journey at an older age, and it’s also commendable to put yourself first when someone else’s views on having children conflict with your own. There’s no right or wrong answer, only what works best for you.