Why Caitlin O’Connor ‘Appreciates’ the Media’s Coverage of Her Public Romance With Joe Manganiello

You probably have heard the name Caitlin O’Connor before. Whether it was from her dazzling turn as Dyan Cannon on HBO’s Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty or her time flipping the script to interview celebrities on the red carpet, O’Connor has made a name for herself in Hollywood. We crossed paths 12 years ago in Los Angeles when we hosted a season of the So You Think You Can Dance aftershow on Maria Menounos’ streaming network, AfterBuzz TV — Hollywood really is a small town.

We lost touch sometime in 2012, and while her name popped up from time to time, our paths did not cross again until September 2023 when Page Six posted paparazzi snapshots of my former co-host with Joe Manganiello. The media outlet described their outing as a “sweaty gym session,” but the real headline was this was the True Blood actor’s first possible girlfriend after his split with Sofía Vergara — and that’s how O’Connor and I became reacquainted again from afar. From going Instagram official with her now-boyfriend, O’Connor found herself thrust into a unique spotlight with Manganiello. 

The surprisingly soft-spoken, O’Connor thanked me for my coverage over the past year. She reminded me how “everyone’s paths eventually come back around” in Hollywood and “that’s why you have to be nice to people and don’t burn bridges. That’s the name of the game in LA.” O’Connor really is that sweet during our interview, sharing that even with a high-profile romance, she’s working hard to make a name for herself in Hollywood. A key moment in her career came when she landed the role of actress and Los Angeles Lakers superfan Dyan Cannon in Winning Time. 

O’Connor recalls, “I got a phone call during the pandemic, ‘Hey, do you want to audition for Dyan Cannon?'” That was an easy yes for O’Connor who had her grandparents to thank for introducing her to some of the star’s films. “I knew the hair, I knew her personal style, and who she was married to — obviously, Cary Grant —  but I had to really do some research.” She confidently nailed the audition and even had the opportunity to meet the 87-year-old Cannon “three or four times” at Lakers games. Describing the Hollywood legend as “very friendly,” O’Connor notes that Cannon definitely could “see the resemblance” between the two of them. 

Like any working actor, she felt the impact of the 2023 actor and writers’ strikes and wishes she could have talked about her work on the show more because Season 2 was the real start of Cannon’s storyline after a few brief cameos in Season 1. “When we were promoting Season two for Winning Time, none of the actors could do any press or do any [social media] posts. So, in my opinion, that’s why Winning Time didn’t get renewed apart from whatever the network wanted…it was really sad to film all those episodes and then really not be able to post about it,” she says wistfully. 

The show was a highlight for her, not just professionally, but the Winning Time Season 2 viewing party also brought her together with Manganiello, who was invited to the festivities by co-creator and executive producer Jim Hecht. That meet-cute Hallmark moment happened a little differently than what was played out in the press but the two Pittsburgh natives found a kinship forged by Yinzer lingo (aka Pittsburgh accents) and their favorite Steelers player.  

The couple just hit their first anniversary on Sept. 26 and O’Connor is completely unfazed by any attention from the media — she has a level-headed approach to the entire situation. “I think it really comes with the territory, and I have never had a problem with it,” she says of dating a public figure. “I know that it comes with being an actress, being in the public eye.” She “really appreciates that the media has been kind and nice for the most part, and I hope it keeps going that way.” O’Connor then adds, “I think the future looks good.” 

While O’Connor is coy about what is the next step in her relationship with Manganiello, she loves that their time together has taken them (including his dog, Bubbles) around the globe. “We’ve been traveling all over. We went to Paris, Italy, Armenia, Helsinki, Aspen, Germany, Switzerland,” she notes. “It’s been a whole world tour the past year.” And what about working together onscreen in the near future? O’Connor mulls over the question and thoughtfully says, “I think Joe and I have a good thing going. We haven’t talked about that yet, but of course, maybe in the future… that would be fun.”