Joe Manganiello shared graphic hospital photos documenting his 60-pound weight loss after emergency intestinal surgery.
The “Magic Mike” star, 49, posted the images Thursday on Instagram alongside a trigger warning about their disturbing nature. The carousel showed him shirtless in a hospital chair, his body visibly diminished, with his first ostomy bag visible above the sheets.
“TRIGGER WARNING. In the days following the amputation of my large intestine, my weight began to plummet,” he captioned the post. “I would ultimately lose a total of 60 lbs during the two weeks following the surgery.”
Manganiello then walked followers through each photograph’s significance. The second image captured his abdomen after reconnection surgery, what he termed “anastomosis,” when doctors removed the ostomy bag and rejoined what remained of his digestive tract.
The third photo displayed the severe skin conditions that plagued him throughout his seven-year illness. “My skin, an immune organ, was stricken with just about every condition known to man, usually in combination,” he wrote, showing red rashes covering his face.
The Pittsburgh-born actor first disclosed his prolonged health battle in the synopsis of his memoir “Bloodlines,” published over the summer. According to that account, the mysterious affliction attacked multiple systems simultaneously — his thyroid, digestive tract, skin, lungs and eyes — yet conventional medicine offered no diagnosis or cure.
Frustrated by unexplained symptoms, Manganiello pursued alternative spiritual avenues including shamans, pagan rituals, ancient myths and genealogical research. His book recounts one shaman’s startling claim during a session with then-wife SofÃa Vergara.
“‘Someone from your past is still in love with you. He put a voodoo curse on your husband. He did it in New Orleans,'” Manganiello recalled the shaman telling them. He identified the supposed source as Vergara’s ex-fiancé Nick Loeb, who had previously resided in that city.
Loeb, 51, responded to the allegation in an exclusive statement: “I pray they find Jesus — not another shaman.”
The memoir also contains unflattering portrayals of Vergara, 54, during Manganiello’s illness. He claimed she mocked his condition and refused physical contact when he was severely sick, withholding hugs at his most vulnerable moments.
The couple’s seven-year marriage ended in divorce in 2023. Manganiello has since channeled his health journey into “Bloodlines,” which weaves together his medical odyssey with his spiritual exploration and family history research.
The Thursday Instagram post marked his most direct public acknowledgment of the physical toll his illness exacted. By displaying the surgical aftermath and skin deterioration himself rather than relying solely on written description, he offered followers unfiltered documentation of a body under siege.
Medical details in his caption clarified procedures that might otherwise confuse lay readers — distinguishing between the initial colectomy, the temporary ostomy, and the subsequent reconnection surgery that restored intestinal continuity.
Whether his pursuit of shamanic explanations and curse narratives will resonate with readers or generate further controversy remains to be seen as the memoir continues its release cycle.