Sofia Vergara has played some insanely iconic roles over the years but she’s most known for playing the incredibly naive and yet feisty Gloria Delgado-Pritchett on Modern Family. This project helped the 52-year-old find a place in the industry, which also eventually kickstarted the launch of various business ventures that helped her become one of the most successful actresses today.

Sofia Vergara in Modern Family | Credits: ABC

Despite being booked for roles in successful movies such as The Smurfs, Chef, and Despicable Me, while being recruited as a judge on America’s Got Talent, Vergara had one story that captured her heart, the story of Griselda Blanco, a Columbian drug lord.

Vergara ultimately turned it into a passion project and approached Narcos’ Eric Newman to produce the show with Netflix. Little did she know, Griselda would lead to one of her life’s lowest points.

Sofia Vergara was left gutted after losing an Emmy nod for Griselda to Jodie Foster

Over a month ago, Hollywood enthusiasts witnessed their favorite stars rise to the occasion and represent various franchises during the 76th Primetime Emmy Awards. Shows like Shogun and even Jeremy Allen White’s The Bear received some of the award show’s most prestigious honors.

Sofia Vergara in Griselda | Credits: Netflix

Sofia Vergara was also a nominee that night as she received an Emmy nod for Best Lead Actress in a Limited Series. Some of the other nominees included veterans like Jodie Foster, Naomi Watts, Brie Larson, and Juno Temple. Unfortunately, Foster beat Vergara, leaving her snubbed once again.

A source close to Vergara and her team spoke to Life and Style Magazine stating that the star who smashed Griselda Bianco’s role on the show was very upset. They said,

I voted for Sofía and almost everybody I know in the T.V. business who saw Griselda did as well. The show was simply outstanding… It just didn’t take and even though Sofía will never say this publicly, it all boils down to jealousy.

The source also addressed Vergara’s post-event Instagram upload in which she said “They stole it from me … for the fifth time,” claiming that it was a joke and she had no ill feelings toward Foster.

The source also added that nobody understood why she lost to Foster especially since Griselda had better numbers than True Detective: Night Country.

This wasn’t the only time the Columbian star was snubbed as it also happened during her run on Modern Family as well. However, Netflix is determined to help Vergara earn her redemption next time says the source.

Sofia Vergara has an emotional connection to Griselda

Back in the day, Columbia was one of the epicenters of the underworld, and being famous in a locality like that was quite dangerous. Back in the 90s, Sofia Vergara received word that her brother was murdered during an attempted kidnapping.

Sofía Vergara in Griselda (2024) | Credits: Netflix

While speaking about the incident to Variety, Vergara claimed that she was already in the United States raising her son, Manolo, when the incident took place in her hometown of Barranquilla, Colombia. She claimed it destroyed the family.

It destroyed my family… It destroyed my mom. It changed our lives completely. We didn’t know what was happening, why he had been killed. We come from a successful family, and he knew he was a target for kidnapping. He always had bodyguards. Then one day he went out alone and was shot dead.

Following the death of her brother, Rafael, Vergara somehow convinced her entire family to move to Miami, where she lived. This was the obvious choice since it was a much safer environment for a family that already had a target on its back.

However, this served as motivation to portray the character of the notorious Columbian drug lord, Griselda Blanco, whom Vergara discovered in Cocaine Cowboys: The Kings of Miami. According to Fox News, it was after she watched Netflix’s Narcos that she reached out to Eric Newman to help her with the story.