Sofia Vergara's Hunky Son Manolo Gonzalez Vergara's Transformation

Best-known for her role as Gloria Delgado-Pritchett in long-running sitcom "Modern Family," and more recently as the titular fearsome drug kingpin in the Netflix biopic "Griselda," Sofia Vergara almost doesn't look old enough to be a mother of a handsome man in his early thirties. But having given birth to Manolo Gonzalez Vergara back in 1991, the Colombian native is very much one. And it appears as though her one and only child has inherited many of the qualities that propelled her to fame, too.

As a model, Manolo certainly has the looks, and as a producer, director, and occasional actor, he also has the skills to make it in the entertainment industry. The multi-talent might not be quite as recognizable as his mom yet. But thanks to various business endeavors and red-carpet appearances, he's still fast becoming a staple of the gossip magazines. Here's a look at his remarkable transformation.

Naming your child after a favorite film character isn't that out of the ordinary. But naming your first-born after a fictional drug lord's right-hand man? Well, that's a little different.

Sofia Vergara certainly didn't have any qualms about giving her son the same moniker as Steven Bauer's Manolo in the hyperviolent classic "Scarface," though. And she proudly revealed the inspiration during a chat with "Regis & Kelly" in 2010.

Three years later, the "America's Got Talent" judge explained to Vogue that her love of Bauer, or rather the fact that she was 'in looove' with Bauer while growing up, had been a key factor behind her decision. Unfortunately, her offspring isn't quite as appreciative of her choice. Sofia added, "Then my son, when he grew up, he was like, 'Oh yeah, Mom, how amazing you named me after a drug-dealer junkie!' And I was like, 'Shut up, Manolo.'"

Manolo Vergara was born in 1991 to parents Sofia Vergara and José González, two former high school sweethearts who'd wed when they were still in their late teens. Unfortunately, their marriage barely lasted beyond their early twenties.

Just two years after welcoming Manolo into the world, Sofia and José decided to split. "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," Sofia later explained to People about becoming a single mother at such a young age. "When people compliment me on him, on how well mannered, how charming, funny, and well-behaved he is, it makes all the sacrifices worthwhile."

Sofia and José had an amicable split and are still friends more than three decades later. In fact, the latter even stays at the "Griselda" actor's home whenever he travels to the United States.

Manolo Vergara's early life took another sad and deeply tragic turn in 1998 when his uncle Rafael was fatally shot during an attempted abduction in Colombia. "It destroyed my family," his mom, Sofia Vergara, told Variety in 2024 while promoting her Netflix crime series about real-life drug lord Griselda Blanco. 

"It destroyed my mom," she added. "It changed our lives completely. We didn't know what was happening, why he had been killed." But despite the heartache of losing her older brother in such violent circumstances, Sofia still found herself occasionally getting a little too attached to the fearsome villain she was portraying on screen.

"I had to check myself, like, 'Sofía, this woman just killed hundreds of people and kids,'" she admitted. "It was very difficult not to romanticize her or to make it seem like she was the hero. She'd become a psychopath."

Following the tragic murder of his uncle Rafael, Manolo Vergara and his mom moved from Colombia to Miami to seek a safer and more stable life. The future "Hot Pursuit" star also invited her mom and siblings Julio and Veronica to move from their South American homeland, too.

"Mother was like a zombie," Sofia explained to Parade. "I wanted to be with them. So I got a big house and we all lived together. I am so grateful to be in this country." Unfortunately, this wasn't the end of the Vergara family's problems.

Manolo's other maternal uncle, Julio, battled with several substance abuse issues as he struggled to deal with college life in Michigan, and on the insistence of his sister, later moved back to Colombia to receive professional help. "With so many bad things happening, it creates a tough skin," Sofia added. "You just have to take a deep breath and keep on going — if not for yourself, then for everybody you love."

Manolo Vergara first followed in his mother's acting footsteps in 2013 when he played Henry in crime thriller "White Rabbit." And he obviously got a taste for the job as he went to rack up a further six credits throughout the rest of the decade.

Indeed, Manolo — who now has a new nepo baby rival — also appeared alongside Sofia Vergara as a DJ in big-screen comedy "Hot Pursuit," guested in an episode of web series "#ThisIsCollege," and shared the screen with Denise Richards in horse-based family drama "Pistachio."

But following a recurring role in high school murder mystery "Guilty Party" and a supporting role in indie flick "Vandal," Manolo appeared to put the brakes on his acting career. Since then, he's served as both host and executive producer of Roku Original "Celebrity Family Food Battle" and as director of short film "Post-Mortem."

It's fair to say that Manolo Vergara made quite the impression when he first stepped in front of the cameras for his first professional modeling assignment. The Colombian turned heads by posing without a shirt for Paper magazine.

Manolo also showed off a Giorgio Armani suit complete with Dolce & Gabbana shoes for the shoot which was inspired by the works of celebrated Spanish filmmaker Pedro Almodovar. And the model's mother couldn't contain her pride, using the clapping hands emoji to express her approval while sharing a snap on her Instagram page.

Manolo himself also took to Instagram to show his gratitude for the opportunity, thanking the publication, photographer Jimmy Marble, and fellow model Stevie DeFelice. "I hope she wasn't too traumatized," he added, referring to the latter, along with several other self-deprecating hashtags, including "#IShoweredAndEverything, #WhomeverBrokeTheMirrorGetsSevenYearsOfBadHair, and #ThankfulItWasntMe."

As well as popping up in "Hot Pursuit" and co-hosting "Celebrity Family Food Battle" together, Manolo Vergara has also worked on several other screen projects with his mom. In 2016, for example, he narrated "VergaraLand," a Snapchat Discover documentary series about Sofia Vergara's rise from Colombia to Hollywood.

Vergara was also instrumental in the production of each episode, which typically lasted no longer than three minutes. Not only did he film the new footage, but he also compiled the array of family photos that further helped to tell the "Modern Family" star's remarkable story.

But for many, the mother-and-son duo's most memorable collaboration will always be their range of ads for a certain shampoo brand back in 2013. According to Sofia, eight out of nine members of her family used Head and Shoulders, and so it was a no-brainer to ask the likes of Manolo to join in with all the promotional fun.

Manolo Vergara also made his mother proud in 2015 when he graduated from Emerson College with a degree that he'd later put to good use. The Colombian took a film production course at the Boston institution, and he's since gone on to draw upon his studies with his work on the likes of "Celebrity Family Food Battle" and Snapchat series "VergaraLand."

Sofia Vergara was in attendance at Manolo's graduation ceremony, as was her then-fiancé, "Magic Mike XXL" star Joe Manganiello. She let all her Instagram followers know about the occasion, posting several photos of the big day, including one captioned, "So happy."

To celebrate the milestone, Manolo and his family enjoyed lunch at Italian joint Serafina before moving on to restaurant Empire where he was presented with a custom-made cake topped with edible students in caps and gowns. "Sofia's so proud of him and excited," an anonymous insider told Us Weekly before adding that Manolo's future stepdad was also a supportive figure.

Further proof that Manolo Vergara and Joe Manganiello were close came when the former agreed to play a pivotal role in his mother's marriage to the latter. The occasional model left barely a dry eye in the house as he walked Sofia Vergara down the aisle during the ceremony at Palm Beach's The Breakers Resort.

As shown in the array of wedding photos the "Modern Family" star later posted to Instagram, Manolo certainly scrubbed up well for the occasion, sporting a tuxedo almost as dapper as the groom's. Sadly, just eight years after giving his mom away, the Colombian then had to console her.

In 2023, Sofia and Joe decided to split, making the former a two-time divorcee. "As two people that love and care for one another very much, we politely ask for respect for our privacy at this time as we navigate this new phase of our lives," they wrote in a shared statement given to Page Six.

The floor of Palm Beach's The Breakers Resort isn't the only one Manolo Vergara has walked his famous mother down. The Colombian has also done the honors at several more public events, including the Emmys red carpet.

In 2017, Manolo chaperoned Sofia Vergara at the TV industry's biggest night of the year, and when he spoke to ET, he explained why. "It's amazing. She invites me when Joe's busy, so ..." he said, referring to his stepfather Joe Manganiello. His mom didn't argue otherwise, adding, "[Joe's] shooting a movie in New York. So I'm like, 'Manolo, you wanna come?"'

Three years previously, Manolo had also accepted Sofia's invitation to join her at a Golden Globes afterparty, doing little to dispel unwanted rumors about the pair in the process.  In an interview with OK, the "Four Brothers" star revealed that she's often asked by those unfamiliar with her personal life whether she and her son are dating.

It might not be the most obvious move for the son of a glamorous, Emmy-nominated actor. But in 2020, Manolo Vergara showed off his entrepreneurial skills when he launched a new clothing range named CANINI by Baguette, which is exclusively for dogs.

Of course, with Sofia Vergara as a supportive mother, Manolo was never going to have to make do with just a few nibbles at the nearest community center. The Colombian got to showcase his brand at Las Vegas' glitzy NoMad hotel at a party attended by the "Machete Kills" star and her fellow actor husband Joe Manganiello. 

Manolo, who was inspired to go into the pet world by his adorable Chihuahua named Baguette, has made some impressive headway, too. You can now buy much of his CANINI range, which includes everything from outfits and accessories to plush beds, at Walmart!

Manolo suffered every pet owner's worst nightmare in 2018 when his beloved new dog, Mamacita, was fatally struck by a car just two days after her adoption. The CANINI founder was inevitably devastated by the tragedy. But determined to give another canine a new lease of life, he soon visited the same shelter where he fell in love with a puppy he named Baguette.

Speaking to Hola! in 2023 about how Baguette came into his life, Manolo said, "I just walked in. I was looking for a cool, hiking, mid-sized dog, four-wheel dog ... She fell asleep on me and I said 'okay this is it.'" And the Chihuahua has become something of a social media star. She had at one point 39,000 Instagram followers to her name, with her hilarious bio reading, "Thicc Latina, Founder of @caninibybaguette, Sugar Mamma of @manologonzalezvergara." And, of course, she also often steals the show on her owner's personal account, too.

Unsurprisingly, Manolo has also roped in Baguette to help promote the dog clothing range named after her. "We've been shooting all day, Baguette has been wonderful," he captioned a photo via after one particular shoot. "I've been a nightmare to work with as per usual but it's fine. She's the one getting paid."

Manolo Vergara found out the hard way that fame can come at a cost when he and his mother were continually targeted by a stalker. In 2023, Sofia Vergara felt compelled to seek court action against Gregory Aaron Brown after the latest in a long line of incidents involving herself and her son.

Brown had already been sent to prison for 32 months after being found guilty of vandalizing Sofia's home. Soon after his release on parole, he trespassed the same property on multiple occasions, prompting the "New Year's Eve" star to take action. According to court documents, when confronted on one particular occasion, the offender shouted that the actor "is mine."

But it wasn't just Sofia who Brown had an obsession with. The documents, which, according to The Independent, described the man as a "mentally unstable stalker," also revealed his mistaken belief in having a "familial relationship" with Manolo. Luckily, following further witness evidence, Judge Christine J Gonong ruled in the Vergaras' favor and issued Brown with a five-year restraining order. 

Not content enough with creating his own dog apparel empire, Manolo Vergara then entered the culinary arena and with a little help from his famous relative, too. In 2024 the Colombian and mom Sofia Vergara officially launched Toma, a brand which, according to its official website, promised to "share the best of Latin cuisine with the world."

So what do they mean by this exactly? Well, within its first few months, Toma unveiled a series of foodstuffs including salsas, empanadas, and the Colombian cheese bread known as pandebono. And as you'd expect, the pair announced their new business endeavor with a glamorous bash held at Los Angeles' Hyde Sunset Kitchen + Cocktails attended by several of Sofia's "Griselda" castmates.

In a statement shared by Haute Living, Sofia explained that Manolo's skills in the kitchen drew her to the project: "I have been eating Manolo's cooking since he was a little kid, and I've always thought this was a perfect thing for us to do together, because he cooks but I eat!"