SBT decided to cancel the airing of Zezé Di Camargo's Christmas special after the singer publicly criticized Silvio Santos' daughters for receiving President Lula at the SBT News launch. The controversy stemmed from an Instagram video where Zezé accused the heirs of 'prostituting' themselves politically. Daniela Abravanel Beyruti, the network's president, defended its impartiality in an open letter.
On Friday, December 12, 2024, SBT launched SBT News, its new pay-TV news channel, in Osasco, with President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes, Governor Tarcísio de Freitas, Mayor Ricardo Nunes, and Vice President Geraldo Alckmin in attendance. The event emphasized plurality and respect for institutions, as stated in Daniela Abravanel Beyruti's open letter.
In the early hours of Sunday, December 14, to Monday, 15, Zezé Di Camargo posted an Instagram video criticizing Silvio Santos' daughters for inviting Lula, claiming they were 'prostituting' themselves and dishonoring their father's political stance. The singer, aligned with the bolsonarista right, asked SBT not to air his recorded special 'Natal é Amor com Zezé Di Camargo', scheduled for Wednesday, December 17, at 11 p.m. 'Given the situation I saw at SBT, people completely changing their way of thinking, especially Silvio Santos' daughters thinking totally differently from what their father thought. (...) I love you all, I love SBT, I have great affection, but I think you are... Sorry, prostituting. I am not part of this', he said.
SBT's management weighed the decision throughout December 15, after a conversation with Zezé to retract, but he refused. Initially, the network said it would air the special, but later canceled it. 'After internal evaluations, SBT's top management decided not to air the Special “Natal é Amor com Zezé Di Camargo”, scheduled for next Wednesday at 11 p.m. The network will soon announce the attraction to fill the slot', the official note stated.
Daniela, SBT's president, published an open letter rebutting the criticisms: 'In recent days, my family has been the target of criticisms even before we present our proposal for SBT News. (...) We are impartial and unbiased. It is up to us to show the facts, and the public to judge them. We want to deliver to Brazil reliable journalism, without party or side.' She noted that SBT follows Silvio Santos' principles, who received presidents from all parties as a diplomatic businessman.
On Band's 'Melhor da Tarde' program, host Chris Flores defended SBT and the Abravanel family, urging Zezé to apologize: 'Zezé, apologize. Come public and apologize, take that video down, remake a video. (...) You offended women who are there running a business. That's what I think, he should apologize.' Flores argued that the daughters honor their father's legacy, like Patrícia Abravanel maintaining the 'Programa Silvio Santos', and criticized the term 'prostitution' as aggressive and misogynistic, echoing First Lady Janja Lula da Silva.
Sources indicate that, beyond the political controversy, the special faced commercial challenges, with sponsorship slots of R$400,000 sold at up to 90% discounts without success, which may have heightened tensions, though the official cancellation is attributed to Zezé's statements.
