Joe Manganiello says a shaman linked his mystery illness to an alleged 'voodoo curse' placed by someone still in love with Sofia Vergara, prompting him to wonder about her former fiance, Nick Loeb.
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Add BollywoodShaadis on GoogleJoe Manganiello has revealed a bizarre claim about his prolonged mystery illness that went on for seven years due to a lack of proper diagnosis. With the release of his new memoir, Bloodlines, the Magic Mike star shared some never-before-known anecdotes from his life that he mentioned in the book.
Manganiello recalls how a shaman allegedly told him his mysterious illness was linked to a "voodoo curse" placed on him by someone who still had feelings for his then-wife, Sofia Vergara. The 49-year-old actor said the Cuba-based shaman identified problems with his intestines and claimed the curse had been placed in New Orleans.
In Bloodlines, Manganiello recounts a phone conversation with a shaman based in Cuba who allegedly described details about his health that the actor believed were not publicly known. The shaman reportedly told him that he was "sick" and that "something is wrong with his intestines." The conversation took a more unexpected turn when the shaman allegedly connected Manganiello's illness to a curse.
Manganiello recalled the shaman telling Vergara that someone from her past "is still in love with you" and he "put a voodoo curse on your husband." The actor revealed:
"There were members of my close family who didn't know any of that, let alone some random guy on the phone. I side-eyed Sofía with a look that was equal parts fear, anger, and disbelief."
The shaman also said Manganiello needed to be cleansed and protected, offering to help him if he traveled to Ecuador for two days. The shaman reportedly explained that he could not travel to the United States. She allegedly said:
"Someone from your past is still in love with you. He put a voodoo curse on your husband. He did it in New Orleans. Your husband needs to be cleansed and protected. I can do this. I can help him. But I need to see him for two days, and I cannot come to the United States. Can he meet me somewhere else? I could meet him in Ecuador."
The actor recalled looking at his then-wife, "trying to comprehend how the f*** this guy could possibly know any of this." Manganiello added, "None of this had been mentioned in the press. No one knew."
Manganiello admitted that while these claims sounded over-the-top, it was the unexpected details that struck him. It made him wonder whether there indeed could be a connection to someone from the Modern Family star's past.
Manganiello recalled immediately thinking about the man Vergara had dated before him. The actress was previously engaged to businessman Nick Loeb, but the pair called off their engagement in 2014. She and Manganiello began dating that same year before eventually getting married in 2015.
Manganiello described Loeb as a trust-fund beneficiary who had spent considerable time in hospitals after reportedly breaking multiple bones in a serious car accident while he was with Vergara.
In his memoir, the actor entertained another possibility, wondering whether the supposed curse had been directed at Vergara herself and would somehow affect any man who became romantically involved with her. Manganiello wrote:
"I was fully aware of how crazy it was for me to seriously entertain thoughts this bizarre, but then again, how did the shaman know all of that about me?"
The Tumbledown star noted that Loeb had previously lived in New Orleans, the same city where the shaman allegedly said the curse had been placed. The coincidence left him unsettled enough to begin searching for flights to Guayaquil, Ecuador, according to his account. However, his memoir does not establish that a curse existed or that Loeb had anything to do with his illness.
The revelations arrive as Manganiello’s memoir brings renewed attention to his relationship with Vergara. The former couple married in 2015 and announced their separation in July 2023 after seven years of marriage. Reports at the time cited differing desires about having children as a factor in the split. Vergara shares a son, Manolo Gonzalez Vergara, with her former husband, Joe Gonzalez.
What are your thoughts on Joe Manganiello's startling revelations, though unverified, about being voodoo-cursed by one of Sofia's exes?
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