Summary
- Sofia Vergara faced offensive comments about her home country during a late-night interview with David Letterman.
- Letterman made remarks about kidnapping in Colombia, which left viewers uncomfortable.
- Vergara's response was professional, but her true feelings regarding the interview remain unknown.
Since The Late Show with David Letterman was on the air for over 30 years, the late-night host quickly earned a reputation for talking to some of the most interesting celebrities around. However, while he was known for memorable interviews, Letterman's conversations sometimes took an awkward turn. And some of these interviews haven't even remotely aged well...
When Sofia Vergara was interviewed on The Late Show With David Letterman over a decade ago, he made an insulting comment that bothered fans of the Modern Family star. Here's what he said and how the actress really felt about it...
What Happened During Sofia Vergara's Interview On The Late Show With David Letterman?
The Modern Family cast's 2023 careers are all amazing. After the sitcom ended in 2020, Sofia Vergara became even more famous since people never seemed to stop talking about her marriage to her now ex Joe Manganiello. Vergara kept acting and starred in a few movies, but she also made a name for herself as a judge on America's Got Talent.
When Modern Family was still on the air, Vergara did a ton of press. People loved hearing what she had to say about playing her popular character Gloria Delgado-Pritchett. There was also a lot of interest in what it was like behind the scenes of the set of Modern Family and whether the actors loved each other as much as they seemed to. One Sofia Vergara interview stands out above the rest, though.
In 2010, Sofia Vergara was interviewed by David Letterman. Season 1 of Modern Family premiered in September 2009, and fans were eager to hear what the actress had to say. By that point, she was beloved as Gloria, and the show's fanbase was only growing.
According to Buzzfeed, the late-night host made some offensive comments about her home in Colombia after she began talking about the weather.
The actress mentioned that Colombia and Los Angeles have "similar" weather. She said "we're by the equator" and "we don't have seasons." When she said "you should go," Letterman said, "I would love to go. I'm afraid I would be kidnapped."
Vergara waved her hand at Letterman and said, "They don't even know who you are over there."
Watching this interview was definitely upsetting, as it seemed strange that Letterman would feel comfortable saying that about the actress's home. It was hard to forget about this particular moment, and Letterman's response to his late-night guest was definitely confusing. Viewers would have loved to hear about the beginning of Vergara's acting career, how she was cast on Modern Family, or what her childhood was like. But, instead, the conversation took an odd turn that definitely wasn't funny.
In 2011, Sofia Vergara appeared on The Late Show with David Letterman again. The conversation went in the same direction. Letterman once again mentioned that he hadn't been to Colombia and asked, "If I were to go there, I would worry that I would get beaten up and kidnapped. Is it safe to travel there?" She said, "Colombia has changed a lot in the past ten years" and explained that there is no problem.
That 2011 interview got even more awkward as Letterman requested that Vergara pronounce the word "chicken" again, which was another offensive moment.
In both of these cases, Sofia Vergara handled these interviews professionally. But it's easy to wonder what she thought about being put in an uncomfortable position not just once but twice. When she said yes to appearing on The Late Show with David Letterman the first time, she must not have expected what would happen.
How Did Sofia Vergara Really Feel About Her David Letterman Interview?
While Sofia Vergara had a quick response ready for David Letterman, many people wondered if she was actually upset or angry at his comments. No one would blame her if she was offended or if she felt that the interview was ruined by his words. It must be disappointing for a celebrity to go on a late-night or daytime talk show and realize that the conversation is going in a direction that they didn't anticipate or want.
The actress doesn't seem to have addressed what David Letterman said about Colombia. An argument could be made that since she went back on the show in 2011, she wasn't incredibly bothered by what he said. If she was, would she really have agreed to a second appearance? It seems that she might have drawn a boundary and told her manager and publiclist that she would never want to appear on his show again.
People can only guess how Sofia Vergara felt, though, since she hasn't shared her feelings about the interview. It's definitely possible that she was hurt and didn't explain that publicly.
No matter how the actress felt during this conversation, it seems unfair that she had to answer a question about whether the country where she grew up is safe or not.
While Vergara didn't talk about her interview with David Letterman, she did talk about another talk show host: Ellen DeGeneres.
Just like David Letterman talked about Colombia and asked Vergara to say "chicken," people thought that DeGeneres laughed at Vergara's Colombia accent when the actress appeared on The Ellen DeGeneres Show in 2017.
According to CNN, Vergara tweeted about DeGeneres in August 2020. She said, "Two comedians having fun with each other to entertain. I was never a victim guys, I was always in on the joke."
It's possible that Sofia Vergara felt the same way about her interview with David Letterman. However, since she never said how she really felt about the interview, her fans can't be sure if she was actually upset or not.
