Ricky Martin opened up about how he thought his career was over after he came out publicly.
During an interview with Andy Cohen on Andy Cohen Live, Martin revealed that it was his father, also a psychologist, who encouraged him to embrace his identity in the first place.
Speaking of his father, Andy shared: “He said, ‘What are you going to teach your kids, to lie? You got to be open.”
Martin recalled him advising him: “I want to help you. How can we do this?”
Sharing his response to the question, he noted: “And I’m like, ‘All right, dad, I’m working on it. Give me a second. I don’t know how. I don’t know if it’s through an interview. I don’t know if I want to write a letter and tweet it. I don’t know. Give me a break. It’ll come.’”
The 52-year-old noted that it truly occurred to him after the birth of his first two sons as well as writing memoirs helped him make the big decision.
According to The Guardian at the time, Martin described it as “years in silence and reflection.”
Speaking to Cohen, he revealed that his identity, serving as a musician at the time, discouraged him from making it public.
Martin recalled their reactions that said: “‘This is going to be the end of your career. Don’t. You don’t need to. Why? Shut up. You don’t need to share it. Everybody knows around you. You don’t have to tell the world. Your friends know, your family know. Why do you need to stand in front of the camera and talk about it?’”
“They didn’t understand the importance of it. Now I see it,” he concluded.
