Despite his stardom, Desi Arnaz said that he was a ''family man'' at heart

"The public does not think of me as a homebody," said the actor.

Everett Collection

Although Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz were portrayed as a loving and content couple on the hit series, I Love Lucy, their relationship struggled behind the scenes. These issues culminated in a divorce, however, the two remained close even after their separation, with many remarking that the duo were better friends than they were a married couple.

Despite his knack for entertainment, Arnaz maintained that he enjoyed a fairly domestic life, despite what the public might believe.

"A funny thing, I do not have the image of being a family man," said Arnaz during an interview with the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. "The public does not think of me as a homebody. I don't really know what the public image is. I guess they think I am a 45-year-old playboy or bongo-beater or Lucy's husband, Ricky, or something. But the truth is I am a family man, and I love the family life."

Arnaz remained a devoted father to his two children.

"Lucy and I - we have two of the most wonderful children, a boy, and a girl, and they spend the whole summer with me at Del Mar, and that makes me very happy. I think what I miss is the home life - a wife and children around most of the time." 

Although their divorce was more amicable than most, Arnaz still spoke of his marriage with Ball fondly. "A man very quickly becomes a creature of habit, of sameness," said Arnaz. "After 20 years with one woman, he falls into a certain groove. All of a sudden you give him his freedom, and he doesn't know what to do about it. Freedom is a wonderful thing - but you must know how to use it."

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9 Comments

DanDolgin 8 days ago
Thanks to Lucille Ball that we have Star Trek. Lucille Ball was instrumental in helping us watch where no man (or woman) has gone before.
DanDolgin 8 days ago
Desi always had a laugh that was poor. I never really cared for his singing. His acting was great but he was not really made for singing or laughing.
JHP 12 days ago
I think Desi... wasn't a choir boy and on top of that he couldn't sing great - but better than Don Knotts
Coldnorth JHP 10 days ago
Omg Desi had the worst laugh as well as a bad singing voice. I would cringe whenever he laughed. Surely, that wasn’t his real laugh. Hopefully a stage laugh for the comedy or the cringing 😬
Coldnorth JHP 10 days ago
Don Knotts really tried to sing well. I can’t sing but I don’t force others to listen to me.. Andy constantly lied to Barney about singing and then complain behin his back. Another bad singer was Ant Bee.
JHP Coldnorth 10 days ago
chinatown my chinatown never made the top 40
Coldnorth JHP 10 days ago
🤭🤭🤭🤭
DanDolgin Coldnorth 8 days ago
I think Don Knotts sang better than Barney Fife. It wasn't the best but much better than in poor voice that he imitated as Barney Fife.
Coldnorth DanDolgin 8 days ago
I believe that. Barney had to be putting on a comedy sing along
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