Joe Manganiello Considered Trip to Ecuador After Shaman Claimed Sofía Vergara's Ex Cursed Him

Joe Manganiello revealed he considered flying to Ecuador after a Cuban shaman told him that a man from Sofía Vergara's past had allegedly placed a voodoo curse on him. The actor recounts the extraordinary encounter in his memoir, Bloodlines, describing how the shaman claimed someone still in love with Vergara had cursed her husband in New Orleans.

The healer offered to help Manganiello if they met in Ecuador. Manganiello, who was suffering from a mysterious illness at the time, said the shaman's apparent knowledge of his condition made him consider the explanation despite how implausible it sounded.

Joe Manganiello's Shaman Encounter

The shaman contacted Manganiello by phone and told him there was something wrong with his intestines, a detail the actor said was not publicly known, as reported by Page Six. 'There were members of my close family who didn't know any of that,' Manganiello wrote in Bloodlines.

The shaman told him that someone from Vergara's past was still in love with her and had placed a voodoo curse on her husband in New Orleans. 'Your husband needs to be cleansed and protected. I can do this. I can help him,' the shaman told them, according to Manganiello's account.

The healer said he could not travel to the US but offered to meet Manganiello in Ecuador, where they could spend two days carrying out the supposed cleansing. Manganiello said he struggled to understand how the stranger appeared to know details about his health.

Why Manganiello Thought of Nick Loeb

Manganiello said his thoughts turned to Nick Loeb, Vergara's former fiancé, as a possible person the shaman had meant. Loeb and Vergara ended their engagement in 2014, shortly before she began dating Manganiello. The actor also noted that Loeb had lived in New Orleans while attending Tulane University, making the location mentioned by the shaman seem significant.

'Why did the most insane thing I'd ever heard have to make so much f***ing sense?' Manganiello wrote. He also considered whether Vergara herself could have been cursed by someone from her past and unknowingly passed the supposed curse on to later partners.

However, Manganiello's memoir does not establish that Loeb placed any curse on him, and there is no evidence that such a curse existed. Loeb has also yet to respond publicly to Manganiello's account.

Joe Manganiello Searched Flights to Ecuador

Manganiello said he reached for his phone and began searching for flights to Guayaquil, Ecuador. 'The thought crossed my mind maybe it was Sofía who was cursed,' he wrote, describing his theory that a man from Vergara's past could have targeted her and affected future partners.

It is not clear whether Manganiello ultimately travelled to Ecuador. His memoir does not establish that the alleged spiritual treatment took place or that it had any medical effect.

Manganiello's Seven-Year Health Battle

The episode came during Manganiello's years-long struggle with an unexplained illness. In Bloodlines, he describes abdominal pain, fevers, rashes, headaches, fatigue, and rectal bleeding, alongside hospital stays and procedures.

His condition deteriorated in 2016, when doctors performed emergency surgery after finding that his large intestine had become severely damaged. He later underwent further surgery to reconnect his digestive tract.

Manganiello said the seven-year health crisis left him fearing for his life and drove him to seek unconventional forms of healing, including consultations with shamans. 'For seven years I thought I was going to be dead the next week,' he said. He has since said he is symptom-free and no longer takes medication, adding: 'The world has opened back up to me.'