From the moment people think differently than the father thought, it makes no sense to air this special.
Zezé di Camargo, identificado com bolsonarismo, criticou as filhas de Silvio Santos por mudarem de pensamento e pediu retirada de seu especial. O evento no SBT reuniu Lula, governador Tarcísio de Freitas e ministros em tom cordial, contrastando com polarização política recente.
- Zezé di Camargo demanded SBT withdraw his Christmas special after the network's SBT News launch event featuring President Lula, Governor Tarcísio de Freitas, and Justice Alexandre de Moraes
- The singer criticized Silvio Santos's daughters for abandoning positions he believed the late founder held
- Lula and Tarcísio engaged in cordial conversation at the event, including discussion of the Enel power crisis affecting São Paulo, where roughly 500,000 people lacked electricity
- Zezé has publicly aligned with Bolsonarism and defended amnesty for those convicted in the January 8th coup attempt
Cantor sertanejo Zezé di Camargo pediu ao SBT que não exiba seu especial de Natal após evento de lançamento do SBT News que contou com presença de Lula e autoridades, criticando mudança de postura do canal.
Zezé di Camargo, the country singer long aligned with Bolsonaro's political movement, took to social media this week to demand that SBT pull his Christmas special from the air. His reason was direct: he could not abide what he had witnessed at the network's launch event for SBT News, where President Lula appeared alongside São Paulo Governor Tarcísio de Freitas, Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes, and Finance Minister Fernando Haddad. The gathering, by all accounts, was cordial—even warm. But for Zezé, that cordiality itself was the problem.
The singer's objection centered on what he saw as a betrayal of principle by Silvio Santos's daughters, who now oversee the network their father founded before his death last August. "I saw what happened at SBT in recent days, at the SBT News launch," Zezé said in his statement. "I swear to God that this does not align with my thinking." He went on to criticize the family for abandoning positions he believed Silvio Santos himself would have held, suggesting they had shifted ideologically in ways that contradicted both his own values and those of "a large part of Brazil." The decision to withdraw his special, he emphasized, came despite the time and resources the production had cost him. "If you can do me a favor, take my special off the air," he concluded. "From the moment people think differently than the father thought, than a large part of Brazil thinks, than I think, it makes no sense to air this special."
Zezé did not name Lula or Moraes directly in his remarks, but his political leanings have been public for some time. In October, during a concert in Porto Belo, Santa Catarina, he had openly defended amnesty for those convicted in the January 8th coup attempt, expressing vocal support for Bolsonaro's followers. The Christmas special withdrawal represents an escalation of that stance—a refusal to be associated with a network that would host the president and his allies in a setting marked by genuine friendliness.
The SBT News launch event itself presented a striking contrast to the polarized political climate that has defined much of recent Brazilian public life. Lula arrived late to the VIP area but made his way to the studio floor, where Tarcísio, who had been seated, stood to greet him with a handshake. The governor then turned to acknowledge the First Lady, Janja da Silva. Later, the two men spoke briefly about the Enel power crisis affecting São Paulo, with Mayor Ricardo Nunes presenting maps showing roughly 500,000 people still without electricity three days after a windstorm. Lula promised to consult with the Energy Minister and assured Nunes that dialogue would follow. When the conversation ended, Lula embraced Tarcísio and remarked that the governor appeared to have lost weight, asking what time he woke to exercise. Tarcísio replied around 6 a.m., and both men laughed.
This warmth was notable because Lula had largely avoided appearing alongside Tarcísio throughout the year. The governor, an early Bolsonaro ally, had leveled direct criticism at the president—in September, he had called for the country to "change the CEO," and in recent months had attacked Lula's handling of public security and state-run enterprises. Yet on Friday, at the network launch, the two engaged in easy conversation, even as Tarcísio delivered remarks calling for "convergence" and dialogue across ideological lines. "Sometimes people hate each other simply because they think differently," he said. "But here in Brazil, the country of syncretism, the country of tolerance, it's time to change that key. We can think differently. The debate will happen in the political arena. But we can build convergence. A project for the future."
Lula, watching from the audience, later referenced Tarcísio in his own remarks, citing the economic indicators his administration had achieved. The Finance Minister, Haddad, spent several minutes in cordial conversation with Tarcísio before Lula arrived, and even Supreme Court Justice Moraes participated in the event's social dynamics, at one point taking a photo with Alexandre Pato, the former footballer married to Rebeca Abravanel, one of Silvio Santos's daughters. Vice President Alckmin exchanged brief words with Tarcísio near the footballer Ronaldo, who joked that both politicians were "aces," prompting Tarcísio to turn the compliment back on him.
For Zezé di Camargo, this display of political civility and cross-party engagement represented something intolerable—a capitulation to forces he opposes, embodied in the very family that now controls the network. His demand that his Christmas special be removed signals a widening fracture between artists and media figures aligned with the Bolsonaro movement and institutions perceived as having shifted their political orientation. Whether SBT will honor his request remains to be seen, but the episode underscores how deeply polarization has penetrated Brazilian cultural and commercial life, and how difficult it has become for some to separate professional relationships from ideological allegiance.
Citas Notables
I saw what happened at SBT in recent days, at the SBT News launch. I swear to God that this does not align with my thinking.— Zezé di Camargo, in his statement demanding the special be removed
Sometimes people hate each other simply because they think differently. But here in Brazil, the country of syncretism, the country of tolerance, it's time to change that key. We can build convergence.— Governor Tarcísio de Freitas, in remarks at the SBT News launch
La Conversación del Hearth Otra perspectiva de la historia
Why did Zezé focus his criticism on Silvio Santos's daughters rather than on Lula or the other politicians who attended?
Because the daughters are the ones who control the network now. For Zezé, the betrayal wasn't that SBT hosted Lula—it's that the family he believed shared his values apparently no longer does. He's saying they've abandoned their father's thinking.
But we don't actually know what Silvio Santos thought about Lula or these political figures. Zezé is projecting his own beliefs onto the dead founder.
That's fair. Zezé is using Silvio Santos as a kind of moral anchor, a figure he can invoke to legitimize his position. It's a rhetorical move—he's saying, "This isn't just my opinion, this is what the founder would have wanted."
The event itself seems to have been genuinely cordial. Lula and Tarcísio laughed together, talked about exercise. Why does that bother Zezé so much?
Because cordiality across political lines reads to him as compromise. If you're friendly with someone he sees as an opponent, you're implicitly accepting them. For someone deeply committed to a political movement, that kind of civility can feel like a betrayal of principle.
Is there any chance SBT actually removes the special?
It's hard to say. They might, to avoid further conflict with artists in that political sphere. Or they might refuse, asserting editorial independence. Either way, Zezé has made his position clear—he won't be associated with the network anymore.
What does this say about Brazilian media and entertainment right now?
It suggests the polarization has become so deep that even professional relationships are being tested. You can't just be a singer with a Christmas special anymore—you're also a political statement. That's a difficult place for the culture to be.