headache

In a new memoir, Joe Manganiello is getting candid about the condition that nearly killed him and the measures he took in search of healing.

The upcoming book, “Bloodlines,” which hits bookstores and online retailers Oct. 13, follows Manganiello’s career in Hollywood from “True Blood” werewolf to “Magic Mike” hunk, his seven-year marriage and subsequent divorce from “Modern Family” star Sofía Vergara and his battle with a mystery autoimmune condition that he says nearly killed him.

The 2010s were off to a stellar start for Manganiello. He was landing notable parts in buzzy projects and fell in love with television’s Colombian Jessica Rabbit, but shortly after the couple said “I do,” the actor’s rise abruptly switched course because of health issues that left doctors stumped.

Adam Rodriguez, onstage from left, Kevin Nash, Channing Tatum, Matt Bomer and Joe Manganiello in “Magic Mike.”

(Warner Bros. Pictures)

“I was getting sicker and sicker,” he told People. Manganiello detailed debilitating abdominal pain, fevers, rashes, headaches, fatigue and ulcers in his digestive tract that caused bleeding and led to countless colonoscopies. In 2016, he was rolled into an emergency “major organ amputation” in which doctors removed a portion of his intestines and sent him home 60 pounds lighter than his normal weight, with a colostomy bag in tow.

“It happened to me, and it’s the truth, and I have all the scars to prove it,” Manganiello told the outlet. Doctors attempted to treat the actor with prescriptions used for patients with Crohn’s and ulcerative colitis, but nothing worked. An autoimmune disease seemed to be the culprit, he said, but such “conditions are a dumping ground for things [doctors] don’t understand. They start running you through this gauntlet of drugs.”

Manganiello said that, as a result of the illness, his marriage fell apart, he gave away his gun to protect himself from suicidal impulses, and he took in an itty-bitty Chihuahua named Bubbles.

He also started to pursue alternative treatment, which included a trip to Cuba, where he licked the pituitary gland in a goat’s skull, an esoteric ritual used to attempt a factory reset on a person’s immune system. When that didn’t cure him, he turned to a Santa Monica shaman who believed generational trauma caused the actor’s ailments.

“Whatever chains there were to the past suffering of my ancestors, they were completely broken,” he said. “There’s not an ounce of fear in me about moving forward with my life.”

Manganiello revealed he’s since had reconstructive surgery on his digestive tract and is seemingly cured.

“I can’t believe I’m alive,” he said. “I feel like I was reborn.”

More than a year after the death of his wife, Jenisa Garland, “Grey’s Anatomy” star Isaiah Washington announced the news of her passing.

The actor posted the news on Instagram over the weekend, writing, “Yes … the rumors are true. My dear wife of 29 years collapsed suddenly on May 31, 2025 and passed away on June 9, 2025.”

Washington said his wife’s death “came as a huge shock to me and our entire family.”

“She succumbed to a massive hemorrhagic stroke and never recovered,” he continued, before adding some cautionary advice to his fans. “Listen, y’all … some headaches are not just headaches or migraines, they can be much worse and a warning sign. Get a brain scan if you can and take those headaches seriously.”

A hemorrhagic stroke is less common than an ischemic stroke, but it is more fatal and occurs when a blood vessel leaks or ruptures in the brain, according to the Mayo Clinic. Causes may include uncontrolled high blood pressure, trauma from a fall or accident, or overtreatment of blood thinners. Signs of a stroke include a sudden intense headache, confusion, trouble speaking, loss of balance, face drooping, sudden blurred vision and more.

“She has been gone 16 months now, but she left 3 incredibly amazing children behind to continue her legacy. I don’t know if this is an appropriate post, because Jenisa Washington was extremely private, but I guess I just have to be reprimanded from her on the other side.”

On Monday, Washington posted a tribute to comedian Reggie McFadden, crediting the “In Living Color” actor with introducing him to his wife more than 30 years ago. “RIP Reggie McFadden,” he wrote on Instagram. “Say hello to Jenisa Washington, because it was you who introduced me to her in 1995.”

Washington played Dr. Preston Burke on “Grey’s Anatomy” in 2005 but was nixed from the medical drama in 2007 after an on-set spat with co-star Patrick Dempsey, a.k.a. Dr. McDreamy, during which Washington reportedly referred to (then-closeted) castmate T.R. Knight, who played George O’Malley, using a homophobic slur. After reports of the behind-the-scenes beef, Knight came out as gay publicly.

Later that year, at the Golden Globes, Washington denied the incident but repeated the word in the process. He ultimately apologized and returned to “Grey’s” in 2014 for a guest spot.