After acting in the English-language film Chasing Papi (2003), she subsequently appeared in Four Brothers (2005) and Tyler Perry's comedies Meet the Browns (2008) and Madea Goes to Jail (2009).

Vergara also acted in New Year's Eve (2011), The Three Stooges (2012), Machete Kills (2013), Fading Gigolo (2013), Chef (2014), and Hot Pursuit (2015).

[13] Vergara initially studied dentistry for three years at National University of Colombia, but she left two semesters away from completing her degree to pursue opportunities in modeling and show business.

[15] Not wanting to be caught in the unrest that resulted from the murder, Vergara immigrated to the United States, settling in Miami, Florida.

[17][18] Vergara was discovered by a photographer while walking on a beach in Colombia, and she was quickly presented with offers of modeling and television work.

[28] She starred 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.

[29] 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.

[36][37] As of September 2016, Forbes reported that Vergara was the highest-paid actress in television, bringing in $43 million in the past year.

[46] In March 2017, she reached a settlement with Venus Concept for alleged improper use of her likeness, which Vergara said created the false impression that she endorsed their beauty products.

For movies and television, she is sometimes asked to color her hair dark brown or black to make her look more stereotypically Hispanic.

[61] Vergara and True Blood star Joe Manganiello became engaged on Christmas Eve 2014 after dating for six months.

"[76] During her December 2014 appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live!, Vergara revealed that she had become a United States citizen after getting a perfect score on her citizenship test.

[82] The embryos were named "Emma" and "Isabella" in the lawsuit, and their "trustee" was listed as James Charbonnet, a New Orleans resident of no relation to Vergara.

[83] The intent of the suit was to give the embryos a chance to further develop using a surrogate carrier, hence to be born, and to benefit from an inheritance trust that had been created for them and is administered by Charbonnet.

[84] The suit also tried to terminate parental rights of Vergara because by keeping them in cryopreservation in a medical clinic she allegedly abandoned and neglected the embryos.

[86][87] In 2024, Vergara launched Dios Mios Coffee, a brand devoted to elevating female Colombian growers.