Two Months After His Divorce From Sofía Vergara, The Real Story Of How Joe Manganiello Met Caitlin O’Connor

Joe Manganiello took the scenic route from divorce papers to a new ring. Less than two months after filing to end things with Sofia Vergara, he met Caitlin O'Connor at a Hollywood afterparty… in a hot tub. Fast-forward: they’re engaged. Here’s how it actually unfolded, plus what Joe and Sofia have each said about why their marriage ended.

From breakup to hot tub to fiancee

Manganiello filed for divorce on July 19, 2023, citing irreconcilable differences. He and Vergara put out a joint message asking for privacy while they figured out their new normal.

We have made the difficult decision to divorce. 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.

Then came September 2023, when Manganiello ended up at an unofficial post-premiere hang for HBO’s Winning Time. O'Connor, who plays Dyan Cannon on the show, was there. They started talking in the hot tub, and that’s where the spark hit. It’s a very L.A. meet-cute, and yes, it really happened that way.

• July 19, 2023: Manganiello files for divorce from Vergara.
• September 2023: Meets Caitlin O'Connor at an unofficial Winning Time afterparty; the hot tub chat that launched the relationship.
• December 2023: First red carpet together at the COAF Gala in NYC.
• January 2024: Vergara shares her perspective on the split in an interview with El País.
• February 2024: Divorce is finalized; they go Instagram official shortly after.
• March 2024: A source tells Us Weekly the relationship is moving fast, with engagement and kids in the conversation.
• June 24, 2025: O'Connor later reveals this is the date Manganiello proposed.
• October 16, 2025: At the San Diego Film Festival, Manganiello publicly refers to O'Connor as his fiancee (per TMZ). She confirms on Instagram with a ring selfie, their dog, and the caption 'June 24th, 2025'.

Wait, why did Joe and Sofia actually split?

This part got messy in headlines, so here’s the clean version. In January 2024, Vergara told El País that age and kids were the issue — he was younger, he wanted children, and she didn’t want to become a mom again later in life. That line about not wanting to be an 'old mom' did a lot of traffic for a reason.

I’m newly divorced from my second husband, who I was with for 10 years. My marriage broke up because my husband was younger. 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.

Manganiello pushed back on that narrative in Men’s Journal. He said the idea that he walked away because he wanted a family 'is simply not true.' He added that they actually tried to have kids during the first year and a half of the marriage and had talked openly about it from the start. Early on, he told her that if she was done with kids, he’d understand — but that wasn’t where she was at the time. He also stressed he never gave an ultimatum and that the split came down to two people growing apart, not some midlife pivot or pressure to do anything 'potentially unhealthy' to her body.

There’s been a lot said in the press about me wanting a family… That’s simply not true.

Timeline check: Joe and Sofia got engaged in 2014, married in 2015, announced their separation in July 2023, and finalized the divorce in February 2024. She’s reportedly dating Justin Saliman now, while Joe’s planning a future with O'Connor.

So who is Caitlin O'Connor?

O'Connor is a TV host and actress born in Los Angeles and raised in Uniontown, Pennsylvania. She studied English at UCLA, which she’s said gave her a wide runway — writing, journalism, screenwriting — before she zeroed in on entertainment. Early gig: she worked as Sleeping Beauty at Disneyland. Hosting credits include Maxim, TheChive, and ArsenicTV, and she’s popped up on screen in Winning Time, Southpaw, and Two and a Half Men.

She told People they clicked right away back at that Winning Time party, and by the end of 2023 they were already doing formal events together. The vibe since then has been what you’d expect from a new match that didn’t cool off: an Entertainment Tonight insider described them as very much in the honeymoon zone — traveling, lots of nights out, making memories, all that.

Engagement confirmed — with a slightly quirky reveal

Here’s the fun wrinkle: Manganiello publicly referred to O'Connor as his fiancee at the San Diego Film Festival on October 16, 2025 (TMZ had it), and then O'Connor confirmed the proposal actually happened months earlier. Her post? A ring selfie with their dog and the caption 'June 24th, 2025.' Not your typical rollout, but it tracks with how these two have kept things moving — fast, and occasionally out of order.

Final thought

From 'hot tub afterparty' to 'fiancee' in under two years is quick, but not shocking for Hollywood. Whether it’s the real thing or just the next chapter, they look locked in. If you had June on your engagement bingo card, congrats — you nailed it.