Rapper Daddy Yankee first made his big break into mainstream music with his 2004 smash hit "Gasolina." The song was an instant global phenomenon and introduced the world to the genre of "reggaetón."
Aptly nicknamed the "King of Reggaetón," the Puerto Rican artist has gone on to dominate the charts over the years, most memorably with the inescapable track "Despacito," a 2017 collaboration with singer Luis Fonsi. (The music video for the song went on to become the most watched in YouTube history.) Now, he's on radios everywhere yet again with his song "Con Calma," which recently got a remix featuring Katy Perry.
But despite being surrounded by women in nearly all of his music videos and public performances, it turns out Yankee has only one leading lady in his life: his wife, Mireddys González.
The couple first started dating when they were both teenagers. Daddy Yankee, who's real name is Ramón Ayala, tied the knot with González when he was just 17, according to The New York Times. But over the years, the pair has rarely spoken publicly about their relationship.
"It's been very hard, but behind the success of a man, there's always a good woman. She's been the one with me since zero. She deserves the best from me," Yankee told Rashel Díaz in 2016 on Detras de la Fama. "She was there in those moments that no one believed in me and I didn't know what the future held. She found me for who I was, my essence."
Yankee and González have been together for over two decades and share three children together. Here's a look inside their 20 plus year relationship.
1994: Daddy Yankee and his wife welcomed their oldest daughter, Jesaaelys González
Before getting married, Yankee and González became parents to their oldest daughter, Jesaaelys. Yankee was 17 at the time.
Now that Jesaaelys is in her mid-20s, she's pursuing a career as a makeup artist and YouTube star. Just like her parents, she's relatively private about her family life, but she does give her famous dad shoutouts on Instagram for special occasions like Father's Day.
"I thank you for always being real and communicating with me. I'm proud every time I see you. You are the no. 1 man in my life and it will always be that way," she wrote on Instagram in Spanish. "Always grateful to God for giving me a father like you. I celebrate you today and all the days for being an exemplary father, loving, and the best of all."
1997: Yankee and González got married
Yankee and González haven't publicly revealed their actual wedding date or any photos from the day, but we do know they tied the knot in their native island of Puerto Rico when he was 17 years old, according to The New York Times.
Despite keeping their relationship mostly under wraps, in 2018, Yankee did share a picture of a private plane decorated with flowers and balloons for his wife for their anniversary.
"Because a boss needs a good woman. With God's blessing, anniversary #23," he captioned it.
~ 1997/1998: Yankee and González welcome their second child together, a daughter
1999: Yankee and González have a son together
As mentioned above, The New York Times quoted Yankee's youngest as seven years old in 2006, which means he was born in 1999. And as you can see from this picture, Jeremy is a spitting image of his famous father.
1999 until now: Yankee's wife continues to support him from the sidelines.
Yankee and González have managed to keep their relationship private for several decades, but that doesn't mean they don't share the occasional adorable moments together on Instagram for the world to see.
Exhibit A: The have matching king and queen crown tattoos.
Exhibit B: The two seem to enjoy traveling together. "With my Lion King," González captioned the photo below.
Exhibit C: Sometimes Yankee and González grace us with shots like these—even if most of their faces are covered.
And despite his globetrotting schedule, Yankee made sure he was his family to ring in the new year for 2019. In the video below, fans got a glimpse of his wife and children.
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As the Lifestyle Writer at OprahMag.com, I cover beauty, style, relationships & love, work & money, health, and food. When I'm not working, you'll find me watching Bravo, on the hunt for the perfect jeans and white tee, or taking my yorkie, Chloe, out for walks in Riverdale, New York.
