Jwan Yosef, Ricky Martin Billy Farrell/BFA/Shutterstock
Ricky Martin and Jwan Yosef may have surprised fans with news of their split, but their pals were unfazed.
“Ricky and Jwan have been having relationship issues for two years now,” a source exclusively tells Us Weekly, noting that the exes — who tied the knot in 2017 — had been “very open telling friends about their issues.”
While the singer, 51, and his estranged husband, 38, “were in therapy together” to work through their problems, the duo “sadly couldn’t work things out,” the insider says. “They’re planning on 50/50 custody and to remain amicable for their family.”
Martin and Yosef share two children together: daughter Lucia, 4, and son Renn, 3. The “Livin’ La Vida Loca” artist also welcomed 14-year-old twins Matteo and Valentino via surrogate in 2008.
Martin and Yosef, an artist, first met “through Instagram, believe it or not,” Martin revealed on Paramount+’s Behind the Music in 2021. “I saw his art, and I’m like, ‘Who’s the artist?’ and it said ‘Jwan Yosef,’ and I’m like, ‘That’s such a cool name, but I wanna see his face.’ And then when I saw his face, I said, ‘OK, this is over. What a beautiful man.’”
After their Instagram meet-cute, the pair continued to text for six months until Martin flew to London to meet Yosef.
“When I got out of the car and I saw him, I said, ‘Whoa. Wait a minute, I think this is the man of my life and I think I am going to marry him,’” Martin recalled.
After tying the knot, Martin revealed that he and Yosef hit a rough patch following Lucia’s birth in 2018. In June 2020, Martin told Univision that he “had problems with my husband” due to his — Martin’s — desire to be in control. “[Jwan] would say, ‘Let me change her,’ and I would say, ’No! I’m going to change her,’” Martin recalled.
Three years later, the ex-couple announced their split in a statement to People on Thursday, July 6.
“We have decided to end our marriage with love, respect and dignity for our children and honoring what we have experienced as a couple all these wonderful years,” the duo said. “Our greatest desire now is to continue having a healthy family dynamic and a relationship centered on peace and friendship to continue the joint upbringing of our children, preserving the respect and love we have for each other.”
Martin and Yosef’s split comes one year after Martin’s brother accused the musician of having an inappropriate relationship with his nephew Dennis Yadiel Sanchez. Martin’s lawyer slammed the “awful” and “disgusting” allegations to Us in July 2022, noting that “the person who made this claim is struggling with deep mental health challenges.” The case against Martin was dropped later that month.
