Taubaté pregnancy hoax
2012 hoax in Brazil / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
In January 2012, Maria Verônica Aparecida César Santos (born 1986 or 1987),[1] a Brazilian educator living in Taubaté, simulated being pregnant with quadruplets. Her case was widely covered by prominent national media outlets. She notably appeared on the Record TV show Hoje em Dia [pt], where she received diapers and a furnished room for the alleged daughters for free.
Chris Flores [pt], the host of Hoje em Dia, was skeptical of the pregnancy and asked reporter Michael Keller to investigate the case, revealing that Santos's sonogram had been copied from the internet and edited.[2][3][4] Santos sought a lawyer to defend her, who later stated that the case was indeed false. Santos and her husband, Kléber, faced charges of fraud, but the proceedings were suspended and, years later, dismissed. The owner of the original sonogram also sued Santos for moral damages.
Since then, Santos – known as Grávida de Taubaté (lit. 'pregnant woman from Taubaté') – became an Internet meme. In the 2012 Brazilian Carnival, a costume simulating pregnancy was the best-seller in Taubaté. The format "X de Taubaté" ("X of/from Taubaté") was appended to words to suggest hoaxes. After the incident, Maria isolated herself, sought psychiatric help, and changed her habits and appearance. Flores attempted to reconnect with her in subsequent years. A film based around the case was announced in late 2023.