Morena Mariah, daughter of Brazilian actress Solange Couto, publicly distanced herself from her mother’s controversial remarks made during the ongoing 26th season of Big Brother Brasil (BBB 26), and addressed online harassment she has received as a result. Couto, 69, sparked widespread criticism after comparing a fellow contestant, Samira, to a victim of sexual assault, using explicitly graphic language on the program.
“I was born of pleasure, not of rape, no! Go to hell! People who are unhappy like that must have been born from a bad lay, a joke of a screwing!” Couto reportedly said, according to translations of the broadcast. The statement prompted immediate backlash on social media, with many calling for her removal from the show.
Morena Mariah, a human rights advocate with a focus on racial justice and the protection of children and adolescents, released a statement on Thursday, February 26th, condemning the virtual attacks directed at her following her mother’s comments. She emphasized that she is a survivor of violence against women herself.
“In recent days, I have received attacks, accusations, and attempts to expose me based on a violence I experienced,” Mariah wrote. “I am not a spokesperson for anyone but myself. As made clear from the beginning of the program, I do not manage or work on the communication of my mother, Solange Couto, and have never been in front of her social media profiles.”
Mariah detailed her 15 years of work in the field of human rights, specifically highlighting her direct involvement in Brazil’s Sistema de Garantia de Direitos, addressing sexual violence. She stressed that her professional trajectory has been consistently dedicated to protecting the rights and privacy of vulnerable populations, in accordance with the Statute of the Child and Adolescent (ECA).
While acknowledging her mother’s words as “problematic” and reflective of a “machist and violent structure” to which all women are subjected, Mariah stated she would not publicly attack her mother while she remains a contestant on the show. She indicated that Solange Couto would have the opportunity to reflect on and take responsibility for her statements upon her exit from the program.
Brazilian media outlets have also reported that, a decade prior to the current controversy, Mariah publicly disclosed having been the victim of sexual assault on two separate occasions. This revelation resurfaced online as critics pointed to a perceived hypocrisy in Couto’s remarks. The production team of BBB 26 later clarified that Couto’s original comment was directed at Ana Paula Renault, not Samira, though the context of the statement remained widely condemned.