TV Globo reshot gay love scene after conservative backlash

By Tom Whitfield

TV Globo discarded and re-shot the first sex scene between two male characters in a nine o'clock telenovela after criticism from conservative groups, according to reporting by the local press. The network has not confirmed the account. It has offered no official explanation for the change.

The scene joined Mau Mau, played by João Victor Gonçalves, and Felipe, played by Pietro Antonelli, in the telenovela Quem Ama Cuida. The original version took roughly five hours to film, with intimacy coordination under the direction of Amora Mautner.

What did the original script contain?

According to the reported details, the first version staged a shower encounter. Felipe would show insecurity, consider leaving, and then decide to stay with Mau Mau. That sequence never aired.

The replacement was filmed quickly. It showed the two characters talking and holding hands before the bedroom light went out. No kiss. No visible physical exchange.

Globo declined to comment publicly on the reshoot or the reason behind it, according to the press reports. The silence is itself part of the story: a broadcaster that altered a major scene has left the motive to be inferred.

Why the scene carried symbolic weight

The sequence marked the first sexual relationship between two men in a Globo nine o'clock telenovela — the network's flagship daily format and one of the most-watched programs in Brazil. That milestone made the final, softened version conspicuous.

The contrast sharpened within the same episode. In that very chapter, the characters Pedro and Adriana appeared in an intimate scene with what viewers described as a more open approach. Fans of the gay couple reacted with anger at the discrepancy, criticizing the absence of kisses or evident physical contact between Mau Mau and Felipe.

Viewers also questioned the difference in treatment between the show's heterosexual romances and its gay couple. National media outlets recorded both the change itself and the public backlash that followed.

What does this change for the telenovela?

In practical terms, the story reached the same plot point — the relationship's first night — through a fade-out rather than a staged scene. What changed is the visible standard: a five-hour shoot with professional intimacy coordination was replaced by a hasty reshoot that removes the couple from the screen at the decisive moment.

The unanswered question is whether the softening was a one-time concession or a precedent for how same-sex intimacy will be handled in future Globo telenovelas. The network's refusal to comment leaves both readings open.

For now, the milestone stands, but diminished: the first gay sex scene in a Globo nine o'clock telenovela exists on record mainly as the scene that was filmed, discarded, and replaced.