Sofia Vergara Reveals Why, as a Single Mother, She Struggled To Be ‘Vulnerable’ in Front of Her Son

Most of us know Sofia Vergara as a loud and proud Latina who says pretty much everything that’s on her mind to whoever is in front of her.

Her no-nonsense, take-no-prisoners attitude is what made her such a hit on ABC’s “Modern Family” and in the public eye on talk show circuits and appearances on shows like “SNL” and “America’s Got Talent,” on which she’s been a judge since 2020.

In fact, Vergara is one of the few actors who’s better known as the person she is off-camera than the person she is in film and television projects, which is why it can be surprising to hear that she struggled with single motherhood while also working to become the beloved superstar she is today.

During an appearance on “The Kelly Clarkson Show” to promote the new season of “America’s Got Talent,” co-judges Heidi Klum and Sofia Vergara talked about what it means to be vulnerable in front of their children. Both Klum and Clarkson agree that it was difficult, but ultimately achievable on some level.

Vergara, however, had another take on it. “I felt like I had to be the strong father and the mother at the same time,” she said. “If I could go back I would be different, I would be more…” and then, with the thick Colombian accent we’ve all come to know and love, Vergara pushes through the word “vulnerable” before joking, “If I could go back I would learn English before coming to the United States!”

Of course, some people didn’t have very nice things to say about her answer, with a handful of commenters on Instagram saying she can’t possibly represent both a father and mother figure to her then 1-year-old son. But hey, this is the internet, what do you expect?

The good news is that one of the YouTube commenters actually had an extremely insightful response on being vulnerable, writing, “Reason being is that they see you upset but then they will also see you work it out over time and recover. Emotional management and the idea of needing problem solving skills to navigate the natural up and down pattern of life is the hopeful outcome I guess.”

You can skip to the 45-second mark to hear Vergara’s response, but the whole video is an interesting take on finding the line between parent and human being with one’s own children.