João Guilherme, the 14-year-old son of actress Letícia Birkheuer, made a public outburst alongside his father, Alexandre Furmanovich, accusing his mother of aggression and using him for social media engagement. The incident unfolded amid a custody battle for the teenager. Letícia expressed sorrow over the separation in an open letter on Instagram.
The custody battle over João Guilherme, 14, son of Letícia Birkheuer and businessman Alexandre Furmanovich, escalated on Tuesday, December 23. The actress posted an open letter on Instagram, mourning spending Christmas away from her son and disclosing over R$1 million spent on legal proceedings to regain custody. "I'm exhausted and have already spent more than a million reais in court. But I won't stop or give up," she wrote, noting changes in the boy's behavior, such as blocking her on WhatsApp and quitting sports.
In response, João Guilherme recorded a video with his father, criticizing his mother's public exposure. "I'm tired of my mom exposing me on Instagram. She keeps using me as an object to gain engagement," the teenager said. He described an incident during a visit to Rio de Janeiro, when he fled his mother's home and was chased by a nurse hired by her, who restrained him with a chokehold on the street. "He gave me a chokehold in the middle of the street with her approval," he stated, adding that the case went to the police station.
The young boy expressed discomfort in visiting his mother and called for suspension of contact. Currently, João lives with his father, who claims the son chose this arrangement. Letícia, meanwhile, accuses her ex-husband of parental alienation in an ongoing legal fight.