Joe Manganiello and Caitlin O’Connor Were Forced to Have 'Kid Conversation' Due to Sofía Vergara's Divorce Claims: Source

Joe Manganiello and Caitlin O’Connor didn’t shy away from talking about their future together in the early days of their relationship — and according to a source, that was due in part to his ex Sofía Vergara’s divorce claims.

In January, the Modern Family star told El País that not being on the same page as Manganiello about expanding their family ultimately led to their divorce.

"My marriage broke up because my husband was younger; he wanted to have kids and I didn’t want to be an old mom," Vergara explained to the outlet at the time. "I feel it’s not fair to the baby. I respect whoever does it, but that’s not for me anymore."

A source now tells PEOPLE that the actress’ comments forced the True Blood alum, 47, and O’Connor, 34, to have candid conversations about their future early on in their relationship.

"Joe and Caitlin have a good partnership,” the source close to Manganiello and O’Connor says. “The 'kids conversation' has been something that Joe and Caitlin have both had to navigate now because of Sofía's statements, which make it seem like Joe is only in the relationship to have kids and that he is with Caitlin because she's of 'child-bearing years.'” 

The insider notes the Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty actress “would not enter that kind of relationship.”

On July 16, the Magic Mike star broke his silence about Vergara’s claims in an interview with Men's Journal and denied that expanding their family was a factor in the divorce.

"It's because two people grew apart, and sometimes that happens," he explained, sharing his frustrations with how the framing of their separation had affected public perceptions of his character.

“To be painted as if I had some sort of midlife crisis, and after nine years, turned to somebody and gave them an ultimatum of, 'Do this potentially unhealthy thing to your body, or else I'm gone'? That’s never who I was," he added.

The source tells PEOPLE that Manganiello “recently had to disable comments for some photos because of online trolling,” but it was “important to Joe to set the record straight.”

“The El País interview is simply not true,” the insider adds. “Sofía made it seem like it was Joe who turned to her at almost 50 and said let’s have a baby now. They tried at the beginning of their marriage to have children…. It did not happen.”

Echoing Manganiello's words, the source claims the former couple simply “grew apart." 

PEOPLE has reached out to Vergara's reps for comment.

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In July 2023, Vergara and Manganiello released a joint statement, saying that after seven years of marriage, they made the “difficult decision” to divorce. "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.

Two days later, Manganiello filed for divorce, citing "irreconcilable differences" as the reason for the dissolution of the marriage, according to divorce documents obtained by PEOPLE. He listed the date of separation as July 2.

While Manganiello has since moved on with O'Connor, Vergara has also moved forward, beginning a new relationship with orthopedic surgeon Justin Saliman.