1989 to 2008: Early modeling career Vergara was discovered by a photographer while walking on a beach in Santa Marta, Colombia, and she was quickly presented with offers of modeling and television work. She was "apprehensive about doing her first television commercial—until her Catholic schoolteachers gave her their personal permission to take the assignment." She made her first appearance, aged 17, in a
Pepsi commercial aired in Latin America. She then began studies at the Creative Workshops School of Acting, where
Gloria Estefan also trained. In 1992, she won the Look of the Year contest in Colombia, and competed at International Finals in New York, And although she didn't win, this opened doors for her in the modeling world in New York, Miami, and London, and later she was hired by
Univision, the largest Latin television network based in Miami, first as a model for various variety shows like
Sabado Gigante,
Lente Loco, Fuera de Serie, and El Blablazo, and then as a celebrity correspondent in
Primer Impacto and
El Gordo y La Flaca before launching her acting career.
2009 to 2019: Modern Family and rise to prominence In 2009, Vergara appeared in
Chicago on
Broadway as Matron Mama Morton for six weeks. 2010 That same year she got a starring role on the ABC sitcom
Modern Family as
Gloria Delgado-Pritchett, for which she was nominated for the
Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series from 2010 to 2013. Vergara was the highest-earning woman in U.S. television, earning $19 million for the previous 12 months, according to a list released by
Forbes.com on July 18, 2012. Vergara was named one of
People magazine's "50 most beautiful people", and named by
The Hollywood Reporter and
Billboard as one of the most influential Latin women in Hollywood. Vergara received a star on the
Hollywood Walk of Fame on May 7, 2015. In 2015,
Forbes estimated Vergara's annual income at $28.5 million. She was scheduled to star in
The Paperboy, an independent drama directed by
Lee Daniels. However shooting was delayed and the revised resumption conflicted with her shooting schedule for the third season of
Modern Family and she dropped out. In July 2011, she finished filming the
Farrelly Brothers'
The Three Stooges, her first leading role in a major film. She said, "I play a mean woman that tries to manipulate the Three Stooges into killing her husband so that she gets all the money." In April 2012, she appeared in her son Manolo's
YouTube web series
Vida con Toty.
2020 to present: Later success In February 2020, Vergara was announced as a new judge on ''
America's Got Talent'', beginning for its
fifteenth season. She has since appeared on the program for six consecutive seasons. In two out of her six seasons as a judge, Vergara's "golden buzzer" selections have won the show (
Mayyas in
2022 and
Jessica Sanchez in
2025). In 2024, Vergara earned a historic nomination for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie at the
Primetime Emmy Awards for her portrayal of
Griselda Blanco in the Netflix miniseries
Griselda. This nomination made her the first Latina born in a Latin American country to be nominated in this category. Despite her acclaimed performance, Vergara did not win the Emmy, losing to
Jodie Foster. She humorously acknowledged the loss, joking that she was "robbed" for the fifth time. Vergara's portrayal of Blanco was deeply personal, influenced by the 1996 murder of her older brother, Rafael, by a Colombian cartel. This tragedy profoundly impacted her family and motivated her to take on the role, despite the challenges it presented. == Business ventures ==