Carlinhos Maia spent roughly 15 years in a relationship with another man.
Now he is single, flirting, experimenting, and apparently much less interested in putting a neat label on whatever comes next.
The 35-year-old Brazilian influencer opened up about his sexuality while answering followers on Instagram on Sunday.
One follower asked him a very direct question: was he “really gay”?
Carlinhos replied in Portuguese, “Ultimamente nem eu mais sei.”
Translated naturally, that means: “Lately, even I don’t know anymore.”
It was a short answer, but the context around it makes the story much more interesting than a simple “celebrity questions his sexuality” headline.
Life After a 15-Year Relationship
Carlinhos spent around 15 years with Lucas Guimarães, one of Brazil’s best-known same-sex celebrity couples.
The two separated last year, but Carlinhos says he is in no rush to jump into another serious relationship.
Instead, he says he is enjoying being free.
He has also pushed back against the idea that being newly single automatically means sleeping with everyone in sight.
“Believe it or not, I’m not sex-crazy,” he said while answering followers.
He explained that he prefers flirting, romantic adventures and little stories to simply having lots of sex.
That sounds less like an identity crisis and more like someone discovering what single life feels like after spending almost his entire adult life in one relationship.
He’s Kissed Men — and a Woman
Earlier this summer, Carlinhos made headlines in Brazil after being filmed kissing a woman during a party in Greece.
At the time, he did not present the kiss as proof that he had suddenly become straight or abandoned his previous identity.
But his comments this week suggest that he is now more comfortable leaving the question open.
Carlinhos referenced the attention around both men and women in his recent posts.
“I’ve kissed a woman, I’ve appeared with a guy,” he said while discussing the speculation around his love life.
What he did not do was give himself a new label.
He did not say he is bisexual.
He did not say he is straight.
And he did not say he is no longer gay.
For now, “I don’t know anymore” appears to be exactly where he wants to leave it.
And Then There’s His Ex
The relationship between Carlinhos and Lucas may be even more entertaining than the sexuality question.
Despite ending their romantic partnership, the two remain extremely close.
Carlinhos says they are still friends and still business partners.
They talk about the people they are interested in.
They still spend time together.
And yes, apparently they still occasionally kiss and hook up.
Carlinhos has been unusually open about that arrangement.
He says they see each other, joke together, film content together and kiss when they feel like it.
That may be confusing to followers who expect every breakup to end with unfollows, blocked numbers and passive-aggressive Instagram Stories.
Carlinhos seems perfectly happy with the messier alternative.
He has repeatedly pushed back against fans trying to manufacture a feud between him and Lucas.
His basic message is simple: the relationship ended, but that does not mean the affection did.
No New Label Required
There is a temptation with stories like this to immediately solve the puzzle for the person involved.
That would be a mistake.
Sexuality can be complicated, especially when somebody has spent 15 years inside one relationship and is suddenly encountering an entirely different dating world.
Carlinhos is not asking anyone to decide what he is.
If anything, he seems to be saying the opposite.
He is single.
He is flirting.
He is kissing whoever he wants.
He still has affection for the man who shared most of his adult life.
And he appears quite comfortable not knowing exactly what label belongs on all of that yet.
After 15 years in one relationship, perhaps figuring it out slowly is allowed. 🌈
📷 @carlinhos @lucasguimaraes
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