Ricky Martin Says He and Jwan Yosef Had Been Planning to Divorce "For a Long Time"

Ricky Martin and his husband, Jwan Yosef, are divorcing after six years of marriage. The couple shared the news in a joint Instagram post on July 6. "For some time, we have considered transforming our relationship, and it is after careful consideration that we have decided to end our marriage with love, respect, and dignity for our children preserving and honoring what we have experienced as a couple all of these wonderful years," they wrote.

"Our greatest desire now is to continue having a healthy family dynamic and a relationship centered on our genuine friendship as we continue the joint upbringing of our children. As always, we thank you for all the love and support we received throughout our marriage. We are united in nurturing this new chapter of our lives."

Martin posted the statement in Spanish on his account. People was the first to report the news of their split.

Speaking to journalist Lourdes Collazo from Telemundo in August, Martin opened up about his and Yosef's separation, saying (via Hola!), "When the public found out, we had already gone through a grieving process." He continued: "Jwan and I will always be family. We have two children that we are going to raise together, and this is not a recent decision. We have been planning this situation for a long time, it's pre-pandemic."

Martin also assured that he and Yosef remain on good terms. "We look into each other's eyes and smile, we hug each other, and we go through the ups and downs, we cry together, and we laugh together," saying they are "better than ever."

"It has been wonderful. I even told Jwan we should write a book about how to get divorced properly. In fact, if someone is getting divorced, come and talk to us because we already have this figured out," Martin continued. "It has been much easier than we thought, but we've done it with time and calmness."

Martin and Yosef share two kids: daughter Lucia, 5, and son Renn, 4. Martin also has 15-year-old twins Matteo and Valentino. "My children never saw a fight between Jwan and me," Martin told Telemundo. "That's why it's like, 'Are you going to divorce, are you going to separate, how?' because we resolved our differences with a good talk, maybe in our room."

"When we told them, it was like, 'Well, Dad, are you okay, are you happy? Is this the decision? Don't do it for us, we're okay," Martin added.

Martin, 51, and Yosef, 38, first met in a very modern way: through Instagram in 2015. They connected IRL for the first time six months later in London and got engaged in 2016. They then tied the knot in 2018 and welcomed their children soon after.

While Martin, of course, made a name for himself as a singing superstar, Yosef, who was born in Syria and raised in Sweden, is an accomplished painter and artist. Martin has scheduled tour dates in Europe this summer. This fall, he'll tour the US with Enrique Iglesias and Pitbull on The Trilogy Tour. He's also set to appear in the upcoming Apple TV+ series "Palm Royale" later this year with Kristen Wiig, Laura Dern, and Allison Janney.

Martin also told Telemundo that he still believes in love, but right now, he just wants to "have a good time." "Take it easy! It was seven or eight years (with Jwan). I want to have a good time, I want to enjoy life," he said. "Let's take it easy, but yes, I do see myself in another relationship. I'm not talking about the near future, but I like being in love, I like being in a relationship, I like waking up in the morning to a morning kiss, breakfast, and complicity."