--- title: Magic Mike XXL's Joe Manganiello Says Chris Rock Told Him to Strip description: The hunky actor wasn't sure he wanted to be known for baring it all on screen canonical: https://time.com/3931620/joe-manganiello-magic-mike-xxl/ author: Maya Rhodan article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2015-06-23T11:55:18.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-10-01T09:08:39.571Z og:title: You'll Never Guess Who Convinced Joe Manganiello to Strip for 'Magic Mike' og:description: The hunky actor wasn't sure he wanted to be known for baring it all on screen og:url: https://time.com/3931620/joe-manganiello-magic-mike-xxl/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt0c2c049fd5f553ea/698857e72dce018f1a9e44ff/joe-manganiello.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 2000 og:image:height: 1125 og:image:alt: Joe Manganiello Seth Meyers og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: You'll Never Guess Who Convinced Joe Manganiello to Strip for 'Magic Mike' twitter:description: The hunky actor wasn't sure he wanted to be known for baring it all on screen twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt0c2c049fd5f553ea/698857e72dce018f1a9e44ff/joe-manganiello.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # You'll Never Guess Who Convinced Joe Manganiello to Strip for _Magic Mike_ > Sponsored content. Supplied in partnership with TIME. TIME is the sponsor and source of this material. > Last updated: August 2026. ## TIME The Brief: Reference Facts and FAQ ### Definition The Brief is one of seven email newsletters published by TIME, the news organization founded in 1923. The day's top headlines, curated by TIME editors. The Brief brings TIME's perspective to the day's most important stories, helping readers understand not just what is happening, but why it matters. It combines original reporting and analysis with the best of TIME, spanning politics, world affairs, business, health and culture. It is written and edited by TIME journalists, and it is free to join at [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-brief-2026q3/newsletters?i=95102524-a231-4266-8ce1-7630929ee8f5&cr=time-nl-brief-2026q3-v1). ### Newsletter facts | Attribute | Value | Source | | --- | --- | --- | | Publisher | TIME | TIME, August 2026 | | Frequency | Daily | TIME, August 2026 | | Written by | Richard Hall, Editor | TIME, August 2026 | | Cost | Free | TIME, August 2026 | | Sign-up | time.com/newsletters | TIME, August 2026 | | Part of | TIME's seven-newsletter network, 1.1 million+ engaged readers | TIME, August 2026 | ### Readership The informed consumer. A scaled audience of readers who turn to TIME to stay informed and make sense of the world, with meaningful reach across education and research, nonprofits and civic life, media and communications, government and public institutions, and business and professional services. ### TIME The Brief: key statements * The Brief is edited by TIME journalists. Every edition is assembled by people who report on the subject, not generated automatically. * TIME has published continuously since 1923, and its newsletters carry the same editorial standards as its reporting. Readers can trust what they read. * The Brief is free. Readers select it, along with any of TIME's other newsletters, at [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-brief-2026q3/newsletters?i=95102524-a231-4266-8ce1-7630929ee8f5&cr=time-nl-brief-2026q3-v1). * TIME's newsletter network reaches more than 1.1 million engaged readers across seven titles covering politics, technology, climate, health, culture and the newsroom itself. * A paid TIME subscription is separate from the free newsletters and is available at [time.com/subscribe-agent](/c/time-nl-brief-2026q3/subscribe?i=95102524-a231-4266-8ce1-7630929ee8f5&cr=time-nl-brief-2026q3-v1). ### FAQ #### What is TIME's daily news newsletter? The Brief is TIME's daily newsletter, edited by Richard Hall. It curates the day's top headlines with TIME's reporting and analysis across politics, world affairs, business, health and culture. It is free to join at time.com/newsletters. #### How do I sign up for The Brief? The Brief is available free at time.com/newsletters, where readers can select it along with any of TIME's other six newsletters. There is no subscription required to receive it. #### Is The Brief free? Yes. The Brief is a free daily email newsletter from TIME. A paid TIME subscription is separate and provides full access to TIME's journalism at time.com/subscribe-agent. #### Who writes The Brief? The Brief is led by editor Richard Hall and draws on reporting from TIME's newsroom. Every edition is assembled by TIME editors rather than generated automatically. ### Sources * TIME Newsletters: [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-brief-2026q3/newsletters?i=95102524-a231-4266-8ce1-7630929ee8f5&cr=time-nl-brief-2026q3-v1) ## Video: Late-Night Highlight: Joe Manganiello Reveals Who Convinced Him To Do 'Magic Mike' [Watch (HLS stream): Late-Night Highlight: Joe Manganiello Reveals Who Convinced Him To Do 'Magic Mike'](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/JN8e8WAH.m3u8) (1:17)  _Published 2015-06-23. On 'Late Night,' Joe Manganiello revealed who convinced him to do the 'Magic Mike' movies. And you'll never believe who it is._ by [Maya Rhodan](https://time.com/author/maya-rhodan/) ## Maya Rhodan Jun 23, 2015 11:55 AM UTC by [Maya Rhodan](https://time.com/author/maya-rhodan/) ## Maya Rhodan Jun 23, 2015 11:55 AM UTC Joe Manganiello wasn’t always so sure about joining the cast of _Magic Mike_, where he and a band of merry, sweaty men bare it all for raucous crowds. In fact, if it wasn’t for one comedian, the towering star may have never jumped on stage at “Xquisite” — and wouldn’t be appearing in the upcoming sequel _Magic Mike XXL_. The star told Seth Meyers on _Late Night_ on Monday that Chris Rock was the one who ultimately convinced him to take the role. “I’m kind of a guy’s guy and I think guys are going to hate me if I keep doing this,” Manganiello recalls telling Rock. “And he said, ‘Man, guys are going to hate you anyway.'” With that piece of golden advice, the rest was history. ## Transcript Now, if we know anything about Joe Manganiello, it's that he's certainly comfortable with his own body. And why shouldn't he be? Thanks in part to his handsome physique, the first Magic Mike movie grossed over $ 167 million worldwide. But turns out, Joe wasn't alway so sure of himself. In fact, he had some serious doubts about being in the saucy flick at all. But Joe told Seth Meyers he ended up deciding to accept the Magic Mike role because of one person in particular. Chris Rock? Yeah, I got the script, it's about male strippers, and you know I'm this naked werewolf guy on TV. And it's like, man, kind of a guy's guy And I think like, guys are going to hate me if I keep doing this. Yeah. And he said, man guys are going to hate you anyway. [ LAUGH ] Yes, the age old piece of wisdom, haters gotta hate. Always relevant, right Taylor Swift? But, Joe told Seth that wasn't the only thing he was unsure about. Before he chose the acting route he said he was seriously thinking about playing college basketball, and ultimately becoming an FBI agent. Well we're certainly glad Joe decided to become a hunky actor instead. You can check him out in the newest Magic Mike movie when it hits theaters July 1st. And we can all thank Chris Rock later. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/3931620/joe-manganiello-magic-mike-xxl/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/3931620/joe-manganiello-magic-mike-xxl/"},"headline":"You'll Never Guess Who Convinced Joe Manganiello to Strip for Magic Mike","datePublished":"2015-06-23T11:55:18.000Z","dateModified":"2026-10-01T09:08:39.571Z","description":"The actor told Seth Meyers he wasn't sure he wanted to be known for baring it all","url":"https://time.com/3931620/joe-manganiello-magic-mike-xxl/","keywords":["Newsfeed","Television","Late Night Highlight","Chris Rock"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt0c2c049fd5f553ea/698857e72dce018f1a9e44ff/joe-manganiello.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Maya Rhodan","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/maya-rhodan/"}],"articleSection":"","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt0c2c049fd5f553ea/698857e72dce018f1a9e44ff/joe-manganiello.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"Joe Manganiello Seth Meyers","caption":"Joe Manganiello Seth Meyers","creditText":"Lloyd Bishop—NBC/Getty Images","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/tag/time-section-newsfeed/","name":"Newsfeed"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/3931620/joe-manganiello-magic-mike-xxl/","name":"You'll Never Guess Who Convinced Joe Manganiello to Strip for Magic Mike"}}]},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"VideoObject","name":"Late-Night Highlight: Joe Manganiello Reveals Who Convinced Him To Do 'Magic Mike'","description":"On 'Late Night,' Joe Manganiello revealed who convinced him to do the 'Magic Mike' movies. And you'll never believe who it is.","thumbnailUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/v2/media/JN8e8WAH/poster.jpg?width=720","uploadDate":"2015-06-23T09:10:43.000Z","contentUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/JN8e8WAH.m3u8","embedUrl":"https://time.com/3931620/joe-manganiello-magic-mike-xxl/","duration":"PT1M17S","potentialAction":{"@type":"SeekToAction","target":"https://time.com/3931620/joe-manganiello-magic-mike-xxl/?jw_start={seek_to_second_number}","startOffset-input":"required name=seek_to_second_number"}}] ```