Call us biased, but Ricky Martin is no criminal. On the contrary, he’s the heartthrob from our childhoods. Ricky Martin might be one of Puerto Rico’s most famous exports, but he’s just like every other human being. However, in recent weeks, his nephew accused him of incest and domestic assault. It has since come out that the alleged victim is a mentally ill young man who thought that by degrading his famous relative, he would get clout.
Now, we are NOT shaming him. Not at all. Mental illness is severe and needs to be treated appropriately. But unfortunately, there is a pattern that has emerged in recent where mental health is a factor in scandals, which has gotten a ton of people certain criminal charges and possible prison time.
Ricky Martin is not a criminal. He has no known history. However, according to The Things, his nephew, the son of his half-sister, has been accused by one of Ricky’s brothers of instability. The young man, whom we will not name, claimed that Ricky had abused him during an alleged relationship for over seven months. It is also believed that the accuser has a criminal record.
Since the allegations were levelled against him, Ricky has kept a low profile. His brother, who revealed their nephew’s mental illness, came to his brother’s defence. In the end, the alleged victim pulled the case. Ricky’s husband, Jwan Yosef, also defended him in the aftermath of the court case.
Comparing Ricky’s Case With Johnny Depp.
If the MeToo movement has taught us anything, there’s usually a pattern that rears its ugly head. With Ricky Martin, there wasn’t any. The same can be said for Johnny Depp when his ex-wife, Amber Heard, accused him of domestic violence. Despite losing his UK defamation case, Depp sued Heard for defamation due to an op-ed she wrote where she didn’t name him but implied he was a monster.
Many of Depp’s ex-partners said that Heard was a liar. During her time on the stand, Amber used a tabloid rumour involving Johnny’s ex-girlfriend, Kate Moss, to her advantage. However, it fell flat when Depp’s legal team called Moss to testify. She said her fall down the stairs had nothing to do with Depp pushing her. Instead, Johnny had carried her back up the stairs after she had slipped.
The Trouble Isn’t Mental Illness.
Going back to Ricky and the drama with his nephew, this is a very troubling story outside of the mental health aspect. Accusations like incest and abuse can be very damaging to both parties. Given that Martin is the more famous of the two, his reputation was put at risk as his accuser had no proof outside his words.
Words can damage and defame. If Ricky wanted, he could sue his nephew for defamation. However, it is unlikely he will as it is not his style. Also, it would further damage his relationship with his sister, though it was her son that made the accusations.
When you’re in the public eye, your reputation is everything. To quote Olivia Jade, who was told by her mother, Lori Loughlin, “You have one reputation.” We all know how that drama unfolded. Ricky’s rep didn’t suffer too much from our knowledge as it didn’t drag on.
However, if it had, it would’ve become more about how the alleged victim had suffered and not about the ramifications of creating a false narrative. While we will never know what Ricky Martin’s nephew planned to accomplish from this, we hope he gets the help he needs.
Why Would Someone Want To Ruin Ricky’s Reputation?
For someone as well respected as Ricky Martin, you would think he wouldn’t have that many enemies. However, what happens when someone from his family, his flesh and blood, seeks to destroy him? It is unclear what the motive is, but we can speculate.
Could the alleged victim want to come out like his uncle did all those years ago but wanted to latch onto his success? Does he have inner demons telling him to blame his uncle for something he wouldn’t do? Anything is possible. Again, this is NOT about blaming anyone. It is about opening an inner dialogue, a safe space where the atmosphere is neutral. Help should always be at hand.
