Sofia Vergara, the quintessential Latina bombshell, was born in Colombia in 1972. She married, had a son, got divorced, and then fled the drug-related violence in Colombia when she moved to Miami in the mid-1990s.
At first, she did Latin TV gigs, but a few years later, she caught the attention of ABC and made the move to Los Angeles after she was signed by them. In fact, the role of Gloria Delgado Pritchett in Modern Family was written with her in mind. It was the making of her fame and fortune.
Along the way, there were boyfriends, some of them with a mob or drug dealing connections, and she had the bizarre experience of being sued by her own frozen embryos. Sofia Vergara's life has, thus far, been an interesting and sometimes volatile one. Now happily married to actor Joe Manganiello, there are things in her past she would probably like to forget.
Let's look at 15 rumors Sofia Vergara wishes would quietly disappear.
15 Her Brother Was Murdered On The Streets Of Colombia
Sofia's Colombian family was pretty well off. And in Colombia being well off makes you a kidnapping target. Her older brother Rafael was murdered on the streets of Colombia in 1998 during a bungled kidnapping attempt. He was only 27-years-old. By the time he died, Sofia Vergara and her young son Manolo had moved to Miami and she was working in Latin TV.
14 Miami And Bad Boy Number One - Chris Paciello
Chris Paciello was Miami's night club king, the kind of guy with a dodgy background that included robbery and murder. Sofia didn't seem bothered by his back story and the two soon became a couple. It gave her an automatic high-profile on the Miami club and social scene. She was soon partying with celebrities and, oh yes, the occasional mobster.
13 Of Madonna, Jennifer Lopez, And The Bonanno Crime Family
Paciello's business partner Ingrid Casares was chummy with Madonna, Jennifer Lopez, and Daisy Fuentes, all of whom partied the night away at the clubs she co-owned with Paciello. Sofia was in the thick of it with them. What wasn't so public was the fact that Paciello had a longstanding connection with the notorious Bonanno crime family.
12 Mob Over Miami: Paciello Charged With Felony Murder
Oops. The cops caught up with Paciello and he was charged with the 1996 murder of a Staten Island, New York woman. Seems a burglary he was committing went very wrong and the woman was killed. Like a lot of mobsters, he had moved South in hopes of getting away from the problems he faced in New York. But it caught up with him.
11 Vergara Parties On And Hocks Her House For His Bail
Undaunted, Sofia partied away and then hocked her Miami home to raise $15 million in bail money for her lover. She attended Paciello's trial and grinned as he blew kisses at her across the courtroom. Paciello, ever out for himself, pleaded guilty and ratted out on his mob bosses. He went to jail anyway. Sofia moved on pretty fast.
10 Adios To Jailbird Paciello And Hello Drug Lord
Well, what to do. Paciello wasn't much use to her in jail. So Sofia waved bye-bye to her Italian lover. Through her connections in Miami, she began seeking more mainstream TV work. In 2002, she had a small part in Nina, a mediocre movie about the Miami street scene. Then she struck gold with a part in the ABC comedy series My Wife and Kids. In 2005, Hollywood came calling.
9 Bad Boy Number Two - Drug Lord Andres Lopez Lopez
Sofia's next "bad boy" lover was drug lord Andres Lopez Lopez. He called her a "wonderful woman who I love dearly." Again, Sofia didn't seem bothered by what the guy did for a living. They became a couple in 2004 when the guy was released from prison. It didn't last. When ABC signed her to a contract in 2005, she packed her suitcases and moved to California, with Manolo in tow.
8 2005 - Tom Cruise And Scientology: God Would Strike Her Dead
Sofia was a big hit in Tinseltown. She met Tom Cruise at a party. He turned on the charm and took her to events at the Church of Scientology. It was clear he was auditioning the bombshell for the role of "Mrs. Cruise." Raised a good Catholic and fearing that God would strike her dead if she became involved in Scientology, Sofia said thanks but no thanks to Tom and moved on.
7 Sofia And That Dodgy Nickname
For the next few years, Sofia was kept busy doing a combination of Spanish-speaking and English film and TV work. She always played the same character, a not-too-bright Latina bombshell. The tabloids took one look at her and dubbed her "Sofia Viagra", a nickname she probably despised. Then in 2009, she struck gold when she was cast at trophy wife Gloria Delgado Pritchett in Modern Family.
6 Son Manolo: She's Loud, Embarrassing And Over-Protective
Actor Manolo Gonzalez Vergara is Sofia's only child. She obsessed over his upbringing, drilling him in good manners and polite behavior. His reaction? Gee mom, stop being so loud, overbearing, and embarrassing. She pretended not to hear and, even though the guy is nearly 30, she still sees him as her little boy.
5 Drug Addict Younger Brother Deported Back To Colombia
After her brother Rafael's death, Sofia decided to bring her younger brother Julio to the relative safety of Miami. Only thing was, Julio was a drug and alcohol addict who was arrested around 30 times in the ten years he was in Miami. The result? The Feds finally deported him back to Colombia.
4 Her Battle-Royal Affair With Nick Loeb
Nick Loeb, a privileged snob from a wealthy brokerage and banking family, and Sofia got together in 2010. From the beginning, they fought like cats and dogs. Lust is about all they had in common. Sofia's friends didn't like Loeb. Loeb's classy family didn't like Sofia. So, the whole thing was doomed from the beginning.
3 Paciello Returns - Of Loeb, Arguments And A Brawl
The whole thing came tumbling down in 2014 when Chris Paciello, newly released from prison, came back into Sofia's life. Nick was jealous. Chris was resentful of Nick's relationship with Sofia. It ended with some kind of a brawl in a nightclub. But Sofia hadn't seen the last of Nick Loeb. Not by a long shot.
2 Sued By Frozen Embryos Thanks To Nick Loeb
Well, it seemed like a good idea. At the beginning of the relationship, Nick and Sofia decided to have IVF and freeze some embryos. After they split, Nick came after Sofia in court claiming custody over the embryos. When that didn't pan out, he filed a suit in the name of the embryos. He finally gave up in 2016.
1 America's Got Talent - Rumors Of A Feud With Heidi Klum
Put two bombshells like Sofia Vergara and Heidi Klum together on America's Got Talent and you are bound to get rumors of diva feuding. That's exactly what happened in 2020 when Vergara became a judge alongside Klum. Of course, the show's producers say that everything is fine. What else would they say in the circumstances?
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