Ricky Martin Says He Wants to Normalize Families like His
Ricky Martin is set for change individuals’ impression of what a “normal” family look like and desires to cause a ripple effect with his family pride.
The singer, 49, stopped by The Ellen DeGeneres Show Monday, where the host and comedian got some information about showing up on the front of PEOPLE’s Pride Issue, on newsstand country now.
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“I’m very happy. People ask me, ‘How do you feel about being on the magazine cover?’ Well, you know what,” Martin started, “every time I have the opportunity to No. 1, talk about my family and let the world know that we’re good people, and how we feel and love is really— I just wanna normalize families like mine.”
He further added- “It’s very interesting, but a lot of people tell me, ‘Ricky, thank you so much just for posting that picture with you and your husband and your kids. That made me feel better about myself.” Martin shares twin sons Matteo and Valentino, 12, daughter Lucia, 2, and son Renn, 19 months, with his husband Jwan Yosef.
Later in his discussion with host Ellen DeGeneres, 63, the artist talked about spending time in lockdown amid the pandemic with his family.
“We’re doing really well, the kids are amazing,” he said, adding that he also had his mother around during the pandemic lockdown.
Discussing about his daughter, Martin said she “runs the house” and “doesn’t snap fingers yet, but is about to,” while kidding about how the 2-year-old doesn’t allow him to sing.
“She said, ‘No, no, no Daddy’ … and this is serious business. She doesn’t let me sing,” he said with a laugh before adding that his older kids do enjoy tunes from their father.
Talking with PEOPLE, Martin said more children may be on the way for his family soon.
“Yes, we want more. There are embryos frozen,” he clarified. “I remember every Sunday in my grandparents’ house — we were 34 grandkids. I always said, ‘One day, I want to open the door to my house and see many kids running at me saying, ‘Daddy, Daddy, Dad!’ That’s something I’ve always dreamed of.”
He further opened about LGBTQ mentorship that as lacked during his adolescent years.
“There are many, many kids out there that don’t have someone to look up to. All they have around them is people telling them, ‘What you’re feeling is evil,’ ” he said. “But, you can’t force someone to come out. If you have an egg and you open it from the outside, only death comes out. But if the egg opens up from the inside, life comes out.”
In the meanwhile, Ricky revealed he has made sure to check upon his children’s mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Although he was feeling “anxiety” during the height of the pandemic last year, he made sure to talk to his brood to ensure they were not feeling the same way.
He said: “My family was doing great and I was checking up on my kids all the time, just to make sure that they’re not feeling the anxiety that I was feeling, to be honest. But they were in a really good place.”