Ricky Martin and Jwan Yosef Split: What went wrong

Ricky Martin And Jwan Yosef may have surprised fans with the news of their split, but their friends were unfazed.

“Ricky and Jwan have been having relationship problems for two years,” a source said exclusively Us weeklynoting that the exes – who tied the knot in 2017 – had “very openly told friends about their problems”.

While the singer, 51, and his estranged husband, 38, “were in therapy together” to work through their issues, the duo “unfortunately didn’t work it out,” the insider says. “They plan to get 50/50 custody and remain amicable to their family.”

Martin and Yosef have 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 artist Yosef first met “through Instagram, believe it or not,” Martin revealed on Paramount+’s Behind the music in 2021. “I saw his art and I thought: ‘Who is the artist?’ and it said “Jwan Yosef,” and I thought, “That’s such a cool name, but I want to see his face.” And when I saw his face, I said, ‘Okay, this is over. What a beautiful man.’”

After their Instagram meet-cute, the pair continued texting for six months until Martin flew to London to meet Yosef.

“When I got out of the car and saw him, I said, ‘Whoa. Wait a minute, I think this is the man of my life and I think I’m going to marry him,'” Martin recalled.

After tying the knot, Martin revealed that he and Yosef had gone through a rough patch after Lucia’s birth in 2018. In June 2020, Martin told Univision that he was “having problems with my husband” because of his – Martin’s – desire to be in control. “[Jwan] would say, ‘Let me change her,’ and I’d say, ‘No! I’m going to change her,” Martin remembers.

Three years later, the ex-couple announced their separation in a statement People on Thursday, July 6.

“We have decided to end our marriage with love, respect and dignity for our children and in honor of what we have experienced all these wonderful years as a couple,” the duo said. “Our greatest desire now is to have healthy family dynamics and a relationship centered on peace and friendship to continue the joint education of our children, while maintaining the respect and love we have for each other.”

The split between Martin and Yosef comes a year after Martin’s brother accused the musician of having an inappropriate relationship with his cousin. Dennis Yadiel Sanchez. Martin’s lawyer denounced the “appalling” and “disgusting” allegations Us in July 2022, noting that “the person who made this claim is struggling with serious mental health issues.” The case against Martin was dropped later that month.