Are Joe Manganiello and Caitlin O’Connor Dating? Inside Romance After Sofia Vergara Split

Joe Manganiello seemingly didn’t waste any time following his split from Sofia Vergara and was quickly linked to Caitlin O’Connor. Fans likely can’t help but wonder who the new woman in Joe’s life is and how long they have been seeing each other.

Are Joe Manganiello and Caitlin O’Connor Dating?

Rumors began to swirl that the True Blood actor and the Kroll Show alum are dating when they were spotted leaving Gold’s Gym in Venice, California, together in photos shared by Page Six on September 14, 2023.

Joe and Caitlin reportedly connected at a party celebrating HBO’s drama Winning Time. A source told People on September 19, 2023, that the pair met for the first time in a hot tub at the party and “were talking the whole time.”

The duo were said to be “casually seeing each other at this point,” though neither Joe nor Caitlin have publicly commented on the status of their relationship.

The pair later confirmed their romance when they made their red carpet debut at the Children of Armenia Fund (COAF) gala at New York’s Cipriani 25 Broadway restaurant on December 9, 2023. Joe wrapped his arm around Caitlin’s waist as the pair posed for photos.

Their romance is seemingly in the fast lane as TMZ reported on February 14, 2024, that the new couple was living together and “relishing every moment of cohabitating.” The insider added that the actor’s beloved dog Bubbles gave Caitlin his nod of approval.

Joe and Caitlyn took another big step in their relationship when they made their romance Instagram official on February 18, 2024. He included a selfie of the pair in a carousel post, which showed them both happily smiling for the camera. While Joe mostly detailed his busy week preparing for the release of his new show Deal or No Deal Island, he concluded the caption with a sweet shoutout to his partner. “And celebrated Valentine’s Day with Tool & Caitlin …” he wrote.

When Did Joe Manganiello and Sofia Vergara Split?

Joe and Sofia shocked fans when they announced their decision to divorce after seven years of marriage on July 17, 2023.

“We have made the difficult decision to divorce,” a rep for the former couple said in a statement at the time. “As two people that love and care for one another very much, we politely ask for respect of our privacy at this time as we navigate this new phase of our lives.”

In Touch confirmed that the Pennsylvania native filed for divorce two days later. His attorney, Laura Wasser, cited irreconcilable differences in the paperwork, which was filed in a Los Angeles court. Additionally, their date of separation was listed as July 2, 2023.

Spousal support will be determined by their prenuptial agreement, according to the paperwork. Meanwhile, the attorney stated that Joe and Sofia have separate property in terms of “earnings and accumulations of Petitioner before marriage, during marriage, and from and after the date of separation” and “miscellaneous jewelry and other personal effects.”

Why Did Joe Manganiello and Sofia Vergara Split?

Five months after their initial divorce news, the Modern Family alum revealed why she and Joe split in an interview with El Pais.

“My marriage broke up because my husband was younger,” Sofia told the publication in January 2024. “He wanted to have kids and I didn’t want to be an old mom. I feel it’s not fair to the baby. I respect whoever does it, but that’s not for me anymore.”

Sofia is the mother of her adult son, Manolo Vergara, whom she welcomed with ex Joe Gonzalez when she was 19 years old. “I’m ready to be a grandmother, not a mother,” the Colombia native continued. “So, if love comes along, he has to come with [his own] children. I’m almost in menopause; it’s the natural way of things. 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.”

Prior to the actress breaking her silence, infidelity rumors were speculated to have influenced their decision to divorce.

One year after the pair tied the knot in 2015, photos began to circulate of the Griselda actress seemingly flirting with movie producer Andrea Iervolino in Rome in 2017. While Sofia has denied cheating, an insider exclusively told In Touch that the incident caused problems in their marriage. “The scandal was humiliating for Joe, whether she actually betrayed him or not,” a source said in July 2023. “Ever since, they’ve been having problems.”

The insider added that Joe and Sofia were simply too different to make things work. The Magic Mike star “is a homebody who plays competitive Dungeons & Dragons with his friends.” Meanwhile, Sofia “is the life of any party and loves getting dressed up to go out for dancing and cocktails late into the night without him. But Joe really loved her and never tried to change her or give her ultimatums. They ended up living separate lives, and she seemed to enjoy her time away from him.”