Ricky Martin feared he would never become a father because of his sexuality
Singer shares four children with husband Jwan Yosef
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Ricky Martin has opened up about how his sexuality impacted his quest to become a father.
In a new interview with Out magazine, the singer reflected on his years-long dream of becoming a father, as well as his fears that he wouldn’t be able to become a parent as a gay man.
“Many years I dreamt of being a father, and many, many, many times I went through this grieving process of I am gay, I am a closeted gay man, and I’m not going to be able to be a daddy,” he said.
Martin eventually became a father in 2008, when he welcomed twins Valentino and Matteo through surrogacy.
At the time, the 48-year-old told People he was confident he could give the children a wonderful childhood even as a single father.
“I have no point of comparison,” he said at the time. “I know nothing but being a single father. I am surrounded by fascinating women who really care about me and my kids, and they will always be there for them. When they come with a question, the answer will be right there with honesty.
“They won’t feel alone because thousands, if not millions, of children are being raised by single parents. And I’ll have to focus on the light, not the darkness.”
The singer and his husband Jwan Yosef, who he married in 2017, recently added two more children to their family, daughter Lucia, one, and son Renn, nine months, also through surrogacy.
According to Martin, he decided to use a surrogate to fulfil his dream of becoming a father because it is a more accessible option for gay men than adoption.
“Obviously adoption is an option and it’s very beautiful, but unfortunately for gay men it’s very difficult to adopt in some countries,” he told Out.
In the US, same-sex couples couldn't adopt in all 50 states until 2016, when a federal judge ruled that Mississippi's ban was "unconstitutional".
As for whether he plans to have more children, Martin said: “There’s moments where I want 10 more, and then there are those mornings where everybody’s crying and I’m like: ‘Okay, maybe we’re fine at six.’”
However, according to the Grammy winner, he “would love to have many grandkids in the future and have every Sunday filled with family”.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments