Caitlin O’Connor and her fiancé Joe Manganiello are opening up about why they fled California for a new life in the Midwest.
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The TV host, 36, told People in December that she and the Magic Mike star, 49, left Los Angeles after more than 20 years and returned to Pittsburgh, where they both grew up.
The couple, who got together after Manganiello split from Modern Family star Sofia Vergara, 53, have settled in Mt. Lebanon, a leafy suburb outside Pittsburgh.
O’Connor said at the time: 'That's what we really connect on, you know, we share the same upbringing, the same hometown knowledge. And that's what really connects us as a couple. So it's beautiful to be back home together.'
But in a new interview with Fox Digital on January 25, O’Connor revealed the move wasn’t just about nostalgia - safety was a major factor.
'The crime in Los Angeles is at an all-time high,' she said. 'We were thinking about it for a long time, and the right house happened to come up. We went to look at it in Pittsburgh, and it was perfect for us.'
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Joe Manganiello and Caitlin O’Connor are opening up about why they fled California for a new life in the Midwest
The couple have settled in Mt. Lebanon, a suburb outside Pittsburgh
She continued, 'Also, L.A. is no longer the entertainment capital of the world.Actors do not audition there anymore. Many casting directors don’t have offices there anymore.
'For the most part, everything is on Zoom. A lot of premieres happen in New York. There are studios being built in New Jersey, and things are moving overseas. Many projects are being filmed overseas, even by professionals who have worked in LA on set their whole lives.
'The industry has moved. It’s no longer there.'
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O’Connor added that the move was also practical.
'After COVID and the strikes, things have changed - you can really work from anywhere,' she said, explaining that having a home base in Pittsburgh made it easier to travel for projects.
In December shetold People, 'I was born in L.A., but raised in Pittsburgh, so we're both from the same hometown,' said O'Connor, an E! News TV host and actress who was seen in Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty.
O'Connor told the publication that she and her spouse-to-be to be will always hold a warm spot for Southern California - but are happy to be 'back home' in Pennsylvania with its local charms.
'I mean, LA has been both of our homes for over 20 years,' she said. 'That's what we really connect on, you know, we share the same upbringing, the same hometown knowledge.'
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O’Connor told Fox Digital that the move wasn’t just about nostalgia - with crime in Los Angeles at an all-time high, the right house in Pittsburgh made it an easy choice
The star added: 'Also, L.A. is no longer the entertainment capital of the world.Actors do not audition there anymore. Many casting directors don’t have offices there anymore
The couple first got together after Manganiello split from Modern Family star Sofia Vergara; (pictured 2022)
O'Connor said that the shared upbringings near the Steel City is 'what really connects us as a couple ... so it's beautiful to be back home together.'
O'Connor praised the area she and Manganiello moved to, as akin to something out of a 'postcard.'
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She added: 'I've never been in a more beautiful neighborhood in Pittsburgh. It's just idyllic.'
Manganiello and Two and a Half Men actress Caitlin O’Connor were first linked in September 2023 and made their relationship official in December.
The couple announced their engagement in October 2025, revealing Manganiello had actually popped the question months earlier in June.
He and Vergara split in July 2023 after seven years together.
They said in a statement posted on Instagram: 'We have made the difficult decision to divorce. As two people that love and care for one another very much, we politely ask for respect for our privacy at this time as we navigate this new phase of our lives.'
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