Ricky Martin’s Complete Dating History

THE RUNDOWN

• Ricky Martin has had a number of public relationships with both men and women.
• He came out as gay in 2010.
• He was married for six years to conceptual artist Jwan Yosef.

Pop star Ricky Martin has been in the spotlight since he was only 12 years old when he joined the popular boy band Menudo. He had the star power to strike out on his own. In the late 1990s and early 200os, the musical icon took over the airwaves with hits like “She Bangs” and “Livin’ la Vida Loca.”

Though Martin had a number of public romances with women, he came out as gay in 2010 with a post on his website. Speaking to Andy Cohen on SiriusXM’s Andy Cohen Live in 2024, he shared how coming out was a decision he never regretted.

“I wish I could come out 20 times,” Martin said. “Of course, I started crying like a baby. You know, I pressed send and I was like, ‘Oh, that’s it?’ My assistant, who’s still my assistant, Paco, he was next to me, and I’m like, ‘I think I need a hug.’”

Before he shared his sexual identity, the singer was linked to multiple women. He told Vanity Fair in 2012, “There was love, passion. I do not regret anything, any of the relationships I lived, they taught me a lot, both men and women.”

He also welcomed two children in 2008, his sons Matteo and Valentino, via surrogate. Martin appeared to choose the path of being a single parent at the time, but he went on to have two more children, a son and daughter, with his former husband, Jwan Yose.

The star is publicly single as of November 2025. In July 2024, Martin denied rumors that he was dating Nacho Palau, his close friend, after Spanish reporter José Manuel Parada implied he saw them sharing a moment backstage at Martin’s concert in Spain. He responded online, saying, “It couldn’t be further from reality. We can only laugh about it.”

Here is everything to know about Ricky Martin’s real dating history so far.

Martin dated Mexican model and TV personality Rebecca De Alba beginning in the early ’90s. They were together about a decade. She told AllVipp that they had a passionate and faithful relationship, though she “already knew” he was gay.

“And sometimes I think, what does it matter if I knew or didn’t know?” she added. “What does it matter if you happen to fall head over heels in love with a person who has another sexual preference, but is faithful and respects you?”

In a 2018 interview with Vulture, he didn’t name De Alba, but seem to be referring to her when he talked about a musical “muse.”

“I had my girlfriend, who was a woman that I dated on and off for nine years, and she’s like the Gala for Dalí. Dalí had Gala,” he said. “And I had this woman who was amazing. Unfortunately, we don’t talk anymore, but she was amazing, and she was powerful, and she knew about me. She knew I was gay, but we were together... She knew and we were together. It was one of those things, but we broke up around ’97, ’98, and then I just worked.”

Martin’s first public relationship with a man after coming out was with businessman Carlos Gonzalez Abella, starting in 2010. They split four years later. A source told People at the time that they were just too far apart from one another.

“They’ve spent very little time together and have grown apart,” the source shared. “They’ve been on the outs for a while now.”

Martin got engaged to conceptual artist Jwan Yosef in 2016, and they were married in 2017. During an interview on The Ellen DeGeneres Show, Martin shared, “I saw his art, and I went crazy because I really love what he does—really original. And I contacted him.”

They welcomed two children by surrogate, Lucia, born in 2018, and Renn, born in 2019. In July 2023, they shared a statement with People announcing their divorce.

“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,” it read. “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.”

A source told Us Weekly at the time, “Ricky and Jwan have been having relationship issues for two years now,” adding that they had been “very open telling friends about their issues.”

They “were in therapy together,” but “sadly couldn’t work things out,” the insider continued. “They’re planning on 50/50 custody and to remain amicable for their family.”