feet first

Ricky Martin opens up about his foot fetish and how he meets men

By · 13 comments · Updated on February 23, 2024

Ricky Martin is not here for your kink shaming.

The 52-year-old pop superstar has been driving audiences wild with his infectious hits and hip thrusts for over 25 years, but it’s feet that really get his engine running.

While Martin has been known to flash his bare hooves on Instagram, in a new interview the Puerto Rican heartthrob unabashedly owns up to having a foot fetish.

Look at those bad boys:

 “I love feet,” he told GQ. “I have a foot thing. I love foot massages, and I would kiss your feet like crazy for hours.” No complaints here!

“But we all have something, ” he added. “Some have a fetish of armpits.” 

And thankfully, the accompanying photo spread also fed all the pit lovers out there.

The Grammy winner knows he’s not alone and also shares photos of his lower limbs for the benefit of his legions of thirsty followers. Put your paws up!

“Let’s open the conversation!” he continued. “Let me like this comment that said, ‘I like your feet.’ I have fans that can draw my feet like a piece of art. They write to me: ‘Ricky, I can recognize your feet a mile away.’ ” 

Martin’s boldness over his proclivities is refreshing and another example how he has no room for shame in his life.

In the sprawling interview, the former Menudo singer revisited coming out in 2010 and how he navigated the closet amid his meteoric rise following his bombastic breakthrough at the 1999 Grammys.

Related:

That time Ricky Martin changed the world with his hip-shaking leather pants at the 1999 Grammys

Ricky Martin’s hip-swiveling performance at the 1999 Grammys launched the “Latin explosion” & many gay awakenings!

“That night activated everything,” he said of the Grammy performance that launched the Latin explosion in the US. “The power of the hips, right? Those leather pants, man. I was testosteronic, and that triggers fantasies. I really don’t know.” His hips don’t lie!

However that magical evening almost didn’t happen.

Out to his family since he was a young adult, he feared revealing it to the public so much that he almost abandoned his burgeoning career to runaway with one of his first boyfriends.

“We were 20,” Martin said. “I told him I’m going to quit everything. Let’s move to Europe and just be. I don’t care about this. He goes, ‘Your path is evident. I see your future. I love you, but we can’t.’ ”

Once his music crossed over to English speaking audiences, he was strongly advised by his team not to reveal his truth. Martin admits coming out in 1999 would have impeded his career.

“I don’t think [the success] would’ve been the same,” he said. “There is a force that is coming with heavy hate.”

When Barbara Walters infamously asked about his sexual orientation in a 2000 interview, Martin felt “violated.”

“That gave permission to every journalist to ask, ‘Are you gay?’ I was like, ‘I don’t want to talk about this. I don’t want people to know,'” he disclosed. “I don’t know if it’s internalized homophobia, but it was not my moment.” 

His moment would come a decade later when the “Livin’ La Vida Loca” singer publicly announced he was gay in 2010. While he wished he had done it earlier, Martin has never looked back.

“I don’t want guilt or shame. Because only if you’re wearing my shoes would you know what I was going through,” he told the outlet. “There’s no light in the closet. Every time I see an adolescent coming out, I’m like, You’re so lucky, because you don’t have to deal with this ever again.”

Newly single since divorcing husband Jwan Yosef, Martin is ready for his next chapter.

While he’s not on apps like Tinder or Grindr, according to GQ, he’s “having fun meeting guys at parties.” How do we get an invite? Asking for a friend…

And after receiving an Emmy nomination for his role in The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story, Martin is exercising his acting chops again with a sexually ambigious role in the upcoming Apple TV+ series Palm Royale.

The part finds Martin playing a country club employee and based on the reviews he’s getting from his fellow cast members, fans will not be disappointed.

“We always would say when he would come into the trailer, the whole thing would light up,” said costar Kristen Wiig. “He’s just the person you want to be with.” You can say that again!

Everyone can watch Ricky’s magnetism in action when Palm Royale premieres March 20th on Apple TV+.

While you’re here, head over to the Queerties Awards, where you can vote for Ricky Martin for Insta Follow, and other LGBTQ+ favorites in more than 24 categories —until midnight tonight.

Related:

PHOTOS: An appreciation post about Ricky Martin’s manspread

Ricky Martin has made many contributions to the culture.

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