LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: The ‘Modern Family’ star Sofia Vergara’s family will be incomplete without her son Manolo Gonzalez-Ripoll Vergara, 31. While many know Vergara to be a dashing diva and the judge of the recently released season of ‘America’s Got Talent’, very few know that she is a mother of one adult child, whom she gave birth to when she was just a teenager.
The Colombian-American actress who played a quirky mother in ‘Modern Family’ is a mother to Manolo too, with whom she shares an extremely sweet bond. Both Vergara and Manolo often treat their fans on social media by posting loved-up pictures of the mother-son duo.
Who is Manolo Gonzalez-Ripoll Vergara?
Vergara, who is now happily married to Joe Manganiello, 46, was previously married to her high school sweetheart, Joe Gonzalez from 1991 to 1993. While Vergara got married when she was just 18, she gave birth to her only son, Manolo in September 1991. Manolo, like his famous mother, is also an actor in projects like, ‘White Rabbit’, ‘Destined to Ride’, and ‘Guilty Party’, Hollywood Life reports.
He has also collaborated with his gorgeous mother on various projects. Some of the initial collaborations came in the 2015 film ‘Hot Pursuit’ where he made a cameo and appeared in one of the episodes of ‘Modern Family’ as an additional cast member. However, according to Hello! Magazine the most fruitful teaming up will be happening soon as Roku has come up with the idea of a show tentatively called ‘Celebrity Family Cook Off’ where Manolo will be seen hosting the show and Vergara will be donning the producer’s hat.
Manolo also told the Deadline about the new project, "We're so excited to be partnering with Roku to bring you a fun, new cooking competition! Working as a family is great and doing it in the spirit of giving back is even better."
An executive of the production company of the show, Butternut, Courtney White, said in a statement highlighting the mother and son’s infectious bond, as per Hello! "This show perfectly blends Sofia and Manolo's infectious love for family with their shared passion for food,” before adding, "We think this series will be an absolute delight for viewers and a great addition to Roku's endless entertainment offerings."
Sofia Vergara, a single mother
After her divorce from her first husband in 1993, Vergara effectively became a single mother, raising her son all alone. In an interview with RedBook Magazine in 2011, she talked about the responsibility of being a young mother, “It’s a big responsibility; you can’t go out much at night. Instead of buying a pair of shoes, you have to buy diapers. When you have a kid, you have to be more mature.” However, she also saw the silver lining, “I do think it was fantastic to have a kid young. My friends now are all panicking if they haven’t found somebody to have kids with. It was never like that for me because I already had the kid!”, she added.
In another interview with People, as per Romper, Vergara as a proud mother commented, "Every time people compliment me about my son, Manolo, it is very rewarding," before adding, “I was really young when I divorced his father, so I raised him trying to set the best example and give him the best that I could. When people compliment me on him, on how well mannered, how charming, funny, and well-behaved he is, it makes all the sacrifices worthwhile.”
