Ricky Martin and husband Jwan ‘had an OPEN marriage’

Ricky Martin and his soon-to-be ex-husband Jwan Yosef ‘had an open marriage’ that saw them ‘engaging in sex together and with other people’, a close friend of the singer has revealed. 

Livin’ La Vida Loca singer Ricky, 51, and Jwan, 38, announced this week that they were divorcing after six years together – and now an insider has revealed how the pair ultimately ‘fell out of love’ after years of enjoying an ‘open’ relationship, while insisting that infidelity was not a factor in their split. 

‘Like many couples, Ricky and Jwan had an open relationship for most of their marriage and this worked for them, until it didn’t,’ the pal told DailyMail.com.

‘That being said, neither of them fell in love with someone else. Sex was something they engaged in together and separate with other partners.’ 

The source said that the pair have ended their marriage ‘amicably’ and are hoping to share custody of their four children – 14-year-old twins Matteo and Valentino, who Ricky welcomed via a surrogate before he married Jwan, and Lucia, four, and Renn, three. 

Ricky and Jwan (pictured in 2019 with the singer’s twins Matteo and Valentino, 14) are ‘sharing custody’ of their daughter Lucia, four, and son Renn, three (not pictured)

The former couple announced the news of their split on Instagram, issuing a joint statement in which they said they were ending their marriage ‘with love, respect, and dignity’  

‘In the end they decided that it was best for them, their well being and for their kids if they end it amicably,’ the source went on – adding that the couple has a ‘tight prenup’ in place that will ensure Jwan is ‘taken care of forever’. 

‘Ricky will likely keep the house but Jwan will remain an important part of his life, and their kids lives, moving forward. He will be taken care of forever and will not have to worry about his finances, at least until their children are all adults. Ricky knows the value of him being a father in their kids lives.’

The former couple has never spoken publicly about the more intimate aspects of their marriage – however Ricky voiced his support for open relationships back in 2018, when he portrayed one on-screen in The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story.

At the time, Ricky, who played the role of Versace’s partner Antonio D’Amico, said that he hoped to help ‘normalize’ open relationships like the one the two men were in. 

‘I want to normalize relationships like this,’ he said, according to Pink News. ‘It’s good for the world; it’s good for me as a gay man with kids.

‘It’s important that we shed some light on power couples like this.’ 

According to the friend, Ricky and Jwan’s marriage came to an end after the pair realized that there was no longer any ‘passion’ between them, explaining: ‘Ultimately, they fell out of love.

‘Their passion turned into a friendship and the sex became barely non-existent.’

Jwan (in a photo on his Instagram with Ricky) ‘took care of the home and the kids while he was busy doing what Ricky does,’ the friend says 

The handsome couple (pictured in 2022 at Vanity Fair Oscar Party) said, ‘We have decided to end our marriage with love, respect and dignity for our children,’ in their Thursday statement 

Another issue facing the men, the source added, is the fact that Jwan felt that there was ‘huge imbalance’ between them – despite Ricky ‘always telling him was not the case’. 

‘You cannot really hold a candle to a husband who is a world famous millionaire worth over $100 million,’ the insider shared. 

‘Like in many marriages, Ricky was essentially the breadwinner while Jwan took care of the home and the kids while he was busy doing what Ricky does. [However this did] also work well for them because they each played an important role.

‘The fact that Jwan is 13 years younger didn’t help. They were a generation apart and from different cultures.’ 

Representatives for Ricky and Jwan did not respond to repeated requests for comment. 

Ricky and Jwan announced their split in a joint social media statement yesterday, writing: ‘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.’

‘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.’

It was fitting that their love story came to an end on Instagram – having begun on the same app back in 2015, when Ricky sent Jwan a DM about his artwork.

‘I saw his art and I went crazy because I really love what he does. Really original. And I contacted him and then I collected him,’ Ricky revealed as a guest on The Ellen DeGeneres show in 2016, where is also shared news that he was engaged.

Ricky and Jwan married two years later, in 2018, in a secret ceremony. They have kept their wedding details private and have never shared an official wedding photo with their fans. 

Ricky (with twins Matteo and Valentino and Jwan in 2016) met the Syrian / Swedish artist in 2015 on Instagram, later joking to Ellen DeGeneres ‘I contacted him and then i collected him’ 

Although Ricky already had his older twin sons when he met Jwan, the two were excited to have more children together. 

After tying the knot in 2018, Ricky also revealed that they had welcomed their daughter, Lucia. In 2019, they welcomed their son Renn into the world. 

Ricky’s twins Matteo and Valentino were born via surrogate in 2008. He said, at the time, that the process was faster and simpler as a single father. 

After dating women and men for years, Ricky came out as a gay man. 

Following a long-term relationship with the economist Carlos González Abella from 2010 through 2014, Ricky fell in love with the Syrian born Swedish artist.  

Ricky previously said he wanted to ‘normalize’ families with two fathers.

Speaking on The Ellen DeGeneres Show about being on the cover of People’s Pride Issue, he said: ‘I just want to normalize families like mine.

‘I know it’s very interesting for a lot of people who tell me ‘Thank you Ricky for posting that picture with you and your husband and your kids. That made me feel better about myself.’

Ricky’s divorce comes after a turbulent few months for the singer. 

Last year, his nephew Dennis Yadiel Sanchez filed a temporary restraining order against him on July 1, alleging he had a sexual relationship with the singer, who became abusive and stalked him after the relationship ended.

A month after making the accusations, a Puerto Rican judge dismissed the temporary restraining order, and the entire case, when the nephew admitted in court that he was lying. 

In November, Ricky filed a $20 million lawsuit against his nephew, claiming he’s been ‘persecuted, besieged, harassed, stalked and extorted’ by the 21-year-old, whom he calls a ‘maladjusted person’ according to TMZ.