Sofía Vergara Opens Up About Her ‘Very Interesting and Very Difficult Year’ (Exclusive)

Sofia Vergara is ready for the new year.

The Modern family alum was candid in an interview with PEOPLE at her Toty Transform AHA launch party on Thursday in Los Angeles about her thoughts on the past year and maneuvering through the various challenges that have come up.

“I had a very interesting year,” says Vergara, 51. “I don’t want to say ‘bad’ or anything like that, but it was very interesting and very difficult.”

“This year I went through a divorce, the SAG strike that lasted so long,” explains the actress. “I’ve seen my friends struggle – some have had to take their kids out of school or have mortgage issues, so it’s been a weird, weird year.”

Vergara is partly referring to her split from Joe Manganiello this summer after seven years of marriage, along with the nearly four-month SAG-AFTRA strike, which has put most film and TV projects on hold.

Joe Manganiello and Sofia Vergara on February 24, 2019 in Beverly Hills, California.

Dia Dipasupil/Getty

Sofía Vergara admits her life has seen ‘a lot of changes’ since Joe Manganiello split

However, while she admits that there have been a few obstacles for her personally and for the entertainment business as a whole, she believes that a brighter future is on the way. “It’s not that it’s bad,” Vergara continues. “I think all the things are working out, everything will be fine and I’m very excited about next year.”

One of the things he says he’s looking forward to is the new Netflix series he’s starring in Griselda, which premiered in January. “I’m going on a world press tour right after the New Year [Eve], so I’m ready for it. It will be exciting,” she says.

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When asked if she thinks 2024 will be a “fresh start” for her, the actress tells PEOPLE, “I hope so,” but adds, “I don’t know if there’s such a thing as a fresh start at 51.”

“I don’t know if I’m fresh anymore, but I’m just excited,” Vergara says. “I’m excited about the TV show coming up. I’m excited about Toty, which has grown really well since we started and people love it because it’s such a good quality product.”

She also teases that there’s more on the way, saying, “I’ve got a lot of projects for next year that I hope people will like.”

Sofia Vergara on March 12, 2023 in Beverly Hills, California.

Vergara says it’s been “amazing” to watch Toty, her sunscreen brand that launched in June, grow to the point where it’s in the U.S., and she’s excited to support something she believes in.

“All the products that I choose to support or create or be a part of are things that I really use and really care about. And they’re things that work,” she says. “I don’t want to make people waste time because I’ve wasted a lot of time with products – we all have. Now the technology and science is so good that we have really good products; it’s not just [petroleum jelly] in your face, which is also very good, but we have options that are real.”

“But you have to know what they are because there’s so much, especially on Instagram,” adds the Emmy winner. “I don’t know about the rest of the world, but if I’m on Instagram and I see something I can buy, I’ll buy it. It usually grabs me and then I’m like, ‘Oh, that’s with…’ But the model looked like good in a post or story.”

“But these products are amazing, I swear, and they’ve been scientifically tested,” Vergara says of Toty.

Sofia Vergara reunites with Modern family Costars Julie Bowen and Jesse Tyler Ferguson: ‘Missed U’

While American talent The judge may be happy, but he’s also not afraid to take a trip down memory lane with his ex Modern family costars. She recently gave fans a behind-the-scenes look at what she described as the “first ever” cast reunion for the award-winning ABC sitcom.

In photos from the gathering, Vergara shared a laugh with her on-screen family, including Julie Bowen, Sarah Hyland, Eric Stonestreet, Jesse Tyler Ferguson, Ariel Winter, Rico Rodriguez, Ed O’Neill, Nolan Gould and more.

Although Ty Burrell was absent, he was part of the reunion in spirit as the entire cast posed for a photo together alongside a portrait of him as Phil Dunphy. The cast also chanted “we miss you Ty” and “love you dad” in a photo they posed above a fireplace in a video shared on Vergara’s Instagram account.

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“So happy to have worked with these people for 11 years❤️,” Vergara wrote in another caption. “I love and miss you all!!! #modernfamily.”

Vergara also seems to have moved on in the romance department, having been photographed on multiple dates with orthopedic surgeon Justin Saliman lately.

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Source: HIS Education