Joe Manganiello has posted hospital photographs with a trigger warning that show an ostomy bag and dramatic weight loss following the removal of a part of his intestine. The 49-year-old True Blood and Magic Mike actor shared the images on 15 October 2026 while promoting his memoir, Bloodlines, released two days earlier.⁠

The photographs document his seven-year struggle with an undiagnosed illness that he has described as autoimmune-related. ⁠

Hospital Photos Document Rapid Weight Loss and Ostomy Bag

In his post on X, Manganiello wrote that in the days following the amputation of his large intestine his weight began to plummet. He would ultimately lose a total of 60 lbs during the two weeks following the surgery. If you zoom in, you can see the top of his first ostomy bag creeping up over the sheets.⁠

The first image shows him shirtless in a hospital chair, noticeably thinner. A second photograph captures his abdomen after the reconnection or take-down surgery, known as an anastomosis, in which the ostomy bag was removed and the remaining digestive tract was reconnected.⁠

The third image displays his face covered in rashes, which he described as an example of the multitude of skin conditions he was plagued with during the seven years he was sick. His skin, an immune organ, was stricken with just about every condition known to man, usually in combination.

The images have drawn attention for their candour. Manganiello has said the illness attacked his skin, thyroid, eyes, lungs and digestive system.⁠ Symptoms began with excruciating abdominal pain that left him unable to walk, along with fevers, blistering rashes, headaches and fatigue.

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Seven-Year Illness and Emergency Surgery in 2016

Details of the crisis appear in Bloodlines, published by Avid Reader Press, an imprint of Simon & Schuster, on 13 October 2026.⁠ The book recounts near-death experiences and a search for answers beyond conventional medicine. In 2016, after months of hospitalisation and inconclusive tests, doctors performed emergency surgery.

Manganiello has described how his entire large intestine had turned to pus and was about to explode. Had they not operated that morning, it would have ruptured and he would have died of sepsis. While he was under anaesthetic for the roughly ten-hour procedure, his then-wife Sofía Vergara authorised the removal of the organ and the creation of an ostomy. He woke to learn the surgery had saved his life but left him reliant on the bag.⁠

The actor underwent further procedures to reconnect his digestive tract and remove the bag. He has said he never received a conclusive diagnosis. Traditional treatments offered little relief, prompting exploration of ancestry and spirituality in the memoir.⁠

Current Recovery and Personal Life

Manganiello has reported that his symptoms unexpectedly stopped several years ago and that he now feels better than ever, though he lives with remnants of the surgeries. He is engaged to Caitlin O'Connor, whom he met in 2023; the couple announced their engagement in October 2025, revealing that he proposed on 24 June 2025, and have moved back to the Pittsburgh area.

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