Scene from “Dona Beja”
The release of the latest episodes of HBO Max’s brand-new Brazilian telenovela, Dona Beja (titled Madam Beja in international markets), has set social media ablaze following a particularly daring scene in the series’ fifth batch of episodes.
Set against the rigid social constraints of 19th-century Brazil, the remake of the 1986 classic has broken new ground for the platform by featuring a “hot and steamy” garden nude scene involving two men.
The buzz centers on the character Fortunato Sampaio, played by João Villa. In the latest release of episodes on March 2, 2026 (Chapters 21–25), Fortunato’s secret struggle with his sexuality reaches a boiling point.
Despite being married to a woman and navigating the high-pressure expectations of his prominent family, Fortunato is depicted receiving a blowjob from a male suitor in a lush garden setting.
The scene has been praised by viewers and critics alike for its “unflinching” and “raw” portrayal of queer desire in a historical context, a rarity for the telenovela format.
Fortunato’s storyline is being highlighted as a vivid exploration of the repression faced by LGBTQ+ individuals in historical Minas Gerais.
Fortunato is caught between his public image as a respectable married man and his private identity.
While the series follows Ana Jacinta (Grazi Massafera) as she reinvents herself as the powerful courtesan Dona Beja, Fortunato’s subplot serves as a parallel narrative of reclaiming agency and identity under the threat of ostracization.
The 40-episode series is being released in weekly installments of five chapters every Monday. With the March 2nd drop, the show has officially crossed the halfway mark.
Dona Beja is currently one of the top-performing titles on HBO Max in Latin America and Europe, fueled in part by the viral nature of these recent episodes.
