Joe Manganiello is opening up about his 13-year estrangement from his father, Charles Manganiello, revealing how a comment about his childhood led to a painful family fallout.
In his newly released memoir, Bloodlines, the Magic Mike and True Blood actor explained that the rift began while he was playing Stanley Kowalski in a production of A Streetcar Named Desire at Yale Repertory Theatre.
During an interview about why he was often cast in intense roles, Joe spoke about how witnessing volatile behaviour while growing up shaped his understanding of anger. He did not name any family members or share specific details, but his father reportedly took issue with the comments, believing Joe was discussing private family matters publicly.
According to Joe, his father changed his phone number without telling him rather than attending one of his performances. Joe later tried reaching out, leaving a voicemail and sending an email to apologise for any hurt his remarks may have caused.
However, the response he received made things worse. Joe recalled that his father sent him an email calling him “a disappointment and a teenage girl” — a message he described as one of the most disturbing he had ever read.
Because of the email, their relationship became completely strained. Charles was the “only one” in Joe’s family who was not invited to his wedding to ex-wife Sofía Vergara.
*Cover image via Getty Images