The public zeitgeist is an interesting beast. One moment we are talking about nepotism and the next we are off on some other tangent. Before the public moves on to the next topic, let us consider how these ‘nepo babies’ got here in the first place. Many powerful men in the entertainment industry and beyond have fathered — even by modern standards — a large number of children.
Nick Cannon has 11 kids, and both Elon Musk and Eddie Murphy have 10. Another name to add to the list is singer Marc Anthony. Before we break down just how many children he has, let’s take a look back at how he achieved his fame, his past relationships, and his current one.
Marc’s beginnings
Marco Antonio Muñiz was born on September 16, 1968, in New York City to Puerto Rican parents Felipe Muñiz and Guillermina Quiñones. He was named after a Mexican singer of the same name, was the youngest of 8 children, and was raised in the Roman Catholic faith. He learned about music, including how to play the guitar, from his father Felipe.
Anthony got his start as a session vocalist for house music in New York. He would have to change his name professionally to avoid getting mixed up with his namesake. He gained valuable experience working for Menudo and the Latin Rascals as a backup vocalist and songwriter. He released his first album Rebel in 1988 with Bluedog Records. In 1993 he released his first Spanish language album Otra Nota with RMM Records and would go on to much success in the salsa market which even crossed over into the English language Billboard 200 charts. His 1999 self-titled album, with hit single “I Need to Know,” would establish him firmly in both the Spanish and English pop markets.
Anthony has sold an impressive number of records, over 12 million, worldwide. Over the course of his career he won 4 Grammy Awards and in 2012 was inaugurated into the Billboard Hall of Fame. In 2009 the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute gave him a Lifetime Achievement Award.
Marc Anthony’s children
Anthony shares two children with his ex-girlfriend Debbie Rosado. His first child, a daughter named Ariana was born in 1994. Not even one year later, her brother Chase joined the family via adoption. Rosado and Anthony broke up in 1995.
Anthony married actress and former Miss Universe Dayanara Torres in 2000. They welcomed son Cristian in 2001 and son Ryan in 2003. They divorced one year after their son Ryan was born. Today, the pair co-parent well together. “My relationship with Marc is perfect. He is a great father to the kids. They adore him, and we get along very well,” Torres stated on Mira Quien Baila on Univision.
Anthony met Jennifer Lopez at the theater when they were both attending the Broadway musical The Capeman in 1998. The pair would go on to work together recording the song “No Me Ames” for Lopez’s album On the 6. While their relationship did not turn romantic until later, the pair eventually married in 2004 just one week after Anthony’s divorce from Torres was official. In 2008, they welcomed their twins, Maximilian and Emme. Lopez and Anthony separated in 2011 and officially divorced in 2014.
“Marc and I are good how we are right now. There’s a reason we’re not together, but we’re great friends. And we’re parents together. We’re even working on a Spanish album together. [And] that has been even better for us. We met working, and that’s where we’re really magical when we’re on stage together, and so we leave it there. That’s it,” Lopez stated on The View.
This brings the total number of Anthony’s children up to six but there’s another on the way.
On Jan. 28 of this year, Anthony wed 23-year-old Model and former Miss Universe Paraguay Nadia Ferreira. The ceremony took place at the Pérez Art Museum in Miami. On Valentine’s Day, the couple had another big announcement. They shared in an Instagram post that Ferreira is expecting. The post showed the couple’s hands on her pregnant belly. It was captioned “Best Valentine’s Gift Ever!!!” It also went on to say: “Gracias Dios por esta bendición tan grande en nuestras vidas. ♥️,” which translates to “Thank you God for this great blessing in our lives.”
Marc clearly enjoys being a father. His only regret is he did not spend enough time with his children during the busiest seasons of his career. “The one regret would be that what I chose to do took so much of my time,” Anthony stated to CBS Sunday Morning in May 2016. “What I would have done to have been a stay-at-home dad, and, you know, witnessed every second of everything. I would have loved that. Didn’t work out that way. It’s the one thing that just tugs at me going and … that’s the biggest sacrifice and you sort of start to wonder, ‘Was it all worth it? Was it worth it?’ You know, on that level.”
With baby number seven, perhaps he has a chance to remedy that.
Time will tell if any of Anthony’s seven children will earn the title of ‘nepo baby.’
