Ricky Martin announces he's gay

[Charlotteman]

Ricky Martin, yes the Ricky Martin, has formally come out as a gay man. It was probably one of the least surprising of celebrity coming outs in recent memory.

To be honest, I don't ever remember hearing one of his songs. I've seen pictures of him etc, but never found him particularly interesting-lol Any one surprised by this?

[krazeeboi]

You've never heard "Livin' La Vida Loca"???????

[Charlotteman]

You've never heard "Livin' La Vida Loca"???????

[suburban george3]

Ricky Martin, yes the Ricky Martin, has formally come out as a gay man. It was probably one of the least surprising of celebrity coming outs in recent memory.

To be honest, I don't ever remember hearing one of his songs. I've seen pictures of him etc, but never found him particularly interesting-lol Any one surprised by this?

[Temeteron]

My dream has come true! lol......i wonder what took him so long to come out?

[Charlotteman]

If I had to surmise, I would think Ricky's long hesitation to come out was based on fear of a damaged career.

No doubt about it---- on the short term, his face will be on the cover of magazines all over the world. His story will be featured on pop culture TV ad nauseam. The sensationalism and publicity seems like it would lead to a boost in career. Didn't Lance Bass and Ellen get upward career bumps when they came out?

Nevertheless, Ricky came out in a respectful manner. I'm delighted he came out on his own terms, unlike George Michael and Jim McGreevey, who were forced out of the closet because of negative events. Even though he waited until his late 30s, we should all admire his courage.

A picture all over the net, for those of you who haven't seen it: the pic shows Ricky and what appears to be a boyfriend frolicking on the beach. One thing though---they were both smoking cigarettes!