Joe Manganiello’s fiancée, Caitlin O’Connor, says safety played a factor in their decision to move away from L.A.
“The crime in Los Angeles is at an all-time high,” Caitlin O’Connor, 36, told Fox News Digital on Sunday January 26. “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.” (Earlier this month, The Los Angeles Times reported 2025 was the city’s safest year since 1959 per capita, with its lowest homicide total in more than half a century. The LAPD also reported a general downward trend in most types of violent and property crimes in L.A.)
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.”
O’Connor explained that most auditions take place on Zoom and “a lot of premieres happen in New York.”
“There are studios being built in New Jersey, and things are moving overseas,” the Roswell Delirium actress continued. “Many projects are being filmed overseas, even by professionals who have worked in L.A. on set their whole lives. The industry has moved. It’s no longer there.”
O’Connor emphasized other “evolving” changes in the entertainment industry that influenced the couple’s decision to move, including the increase of remote work after COVID and the 2023 Writers Guild of America strike.
“You can really work from anywhere, and you can travel to wherever you’re filming from your home base,” she explained. “That’s why we decided to switch it up and have our home base be in Pittsburgh.”
O’Connor and Manganiello, 49, each had previous ties to Pittsburgh as it’s where they both grew up.
“I mean, L.A. has been both of our homes for over 20 years,” O’Connor told People in December 2024. “I was born in L.A., but raised in Pittsburgh, so we’re both from the same hometown.”
O’Connor told the outlet she and Manganiello feel “safe” in their new, scenic area.
“I’ve never been in a more beautiful neighborhood in Pittsburgh. It’s just idyllic,” she gushed, reiterating they were thinking of moving out of L.A. “for a while” before taking the leap.
While they are now primarily living in Pennsylvania, they do still plan on traveling when needed for work or leisure. Traveling is something that’s bonded the duo, and they have a special tradition each time they visit a new place.
“Joe and I have been sort of on a world tour since we met. We’ve traveled a lot … to over 70 cities in the last two years,” O’Connor revealed at the time. “So we have ornaments from all over the world. We try to collect a piece of art from all over the world and bring it back.”
Manganiello and O’Connor confirmed their engagement in October 2025 after two years of dating by sharing a photo with her sparkling diamond ring via Instagram. For O’Connor, there was a distinct moment when she realized Manganiello was The One.
“We were holding hands in a crowd rushing by us and someone tried to cut through us and cause us to stop holding hands while the crowd rushed by,” she shared. “Joe protected that hand-hold and wouldn’t let the person cross in between us, and that is when I knew he was The One!”
