"Theater at its best should feel like a real community effort.”
On Sunday, September 7, singer Ricky Martin made history when he accepted the first-ever Latin Icon Award at the MTV Video Movie Awards.
After performing several of his greatest hits, including 1999’s “Livin’ la vida loca,” Martin accepted the award from Jessica Simpson who opened for Martin on his Livn’ la vida loca tour.
While holding the Moon Man in his hands, Martin told the audience that he is “addicted to” their “applause. That's why I keep coming back.”
Martin, who said his goal as an artist was to “unite” the world and “keep music alive,” then turned his focus to his family.
Martin is a father to four children. He welcomed twins Matteo and Valentino who were born in 2008 via a surrogate as a single father. In 2017, Martin married Jwan Yosef in 2017 and together they welcomed two more children, daughter Lucia, 6, and son Renn, 5, People reports.
During his acceptance speech, Martin said, “I want to dedicate this, this award to my kids. Matteo, Valentino, Lucia, and Renn, everything I do I do it with, with you in my mind and in my heart.”
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“Let’s keep doing more music, God bless you all,” Martin added.
Martin and Yosef ended their marriage in 2023. In an interview with Attitude, Yosef shared where he and Martin stand today.
"We've actually had the most wonderful relationship," Yosef said. "It's a very solid and calm co-parenting situation. We live 10 minutes away from each other. We speak every day. We love our kids so much."
"It's been an extremely lovely kind of experience. It's not an experience — it's a way of living,” he added.
