Memories of G Magazine, the magazine that exposed celebrities and minor celebrities and will be the subject of a series

The country’s most famous gay magazine will be the subject of a Globoplay documentary series in 2025, as anticipated by F5. There will be no shortage of behind-the-scenes stories in the production about G Magazine, which emerged on the editorial scene in 1997 under the nickname Bananaloca.

From the fifth edition onwards, the publication changed its name to what brought to its covers some of the most desired men in the country at the time (and others who were successful due to their physical attributes, shown in close-up and at angles designed to satisfy all fetishes).

Alexandre Frota, Mateus Carrieri, Vampeta, Túlio Maravilha, Roger (former goalkeeper), Rodrigo Phavanello, Tony Salles and other celebrities have already confirmed their participation in the documentary. They have all signed a confidentiality agreement and cannot give interviews until the broadcaster authorizes them.

For almost 16 years, the magazine created by journalist Ana Fadigas exposed artists, athletes and sub-celebrities, in a bold move that was unprecedented at the time, going beyond explicit nudity. AG bet on the plurality of bodies and ethnicities and, although the vast majority of those portrayed were young, mature men also appeared in its pages. David Cardoso, Victor Wagner, and rocker Roger, from Ultraje a Rigor, now a right-wing activist, were some of them.

“The magazine meant a lot to its target audience, readers felt unrestricted support from G, and that made it very important,” says Ana.

For some, posing nude represented more than just the paycheck: it was a way to extend their 15 minutes of fame and boost their bank account with VIP presence, especially if they were a former BBB contestant. Actor Mateus Carrieri, 57, was the first celebrity to grace the cover of the publication, in August 1998; however, his photoshoot had been done months earlier.

The release was postponed so that her image would not be associated with her character in a children’s soap opera at the time. It was Carrieri who opened the doors for other celebrities to show their nudity in a shameless way.

Soon after came David Cardoso Jr, Vampeta, Dinei, Théo Becker, Rafael Vanucci and other famous (or almost famous) people. However, it was Alexandre Frota, 60, who broke taboos with controversial photoshoots, whether wearing women’s boots or kissing another man.

He and Carrieri gave projection to Gshowing that the decision to pose for a gay magazine was not necessarily related to the sexual orientation of the person being photographed. It was not just them who became a billboard for the editorial; Vampeta, then a Corinthians player, was the first nude in the football segment; the athlete’s photoshoot, in 1999, generated enormous repercussions due to the large proportions of a certain part of his anatomy.

Columnists and competitors

The magazine’s few advertisers were saunas and nightclubs, a clear sign that big brands did not want their image tied to the magazine. Even so, the publication had a loyal readership, as well as a team of well-known columnists, such as Nany People, João Silvério Trevisan, Jean Wyllys, Evandro Santo and others.

Santo, former member of “Pânico na TV!”, recalled the period: “It was the most courageous magazine we had, I did it for free, even at the height of Christian Pior [seu personagem no programa]; G brought celebrities that we never thought we would see before, I even dated one of the fillings for a while”, she told F5. The ‘filling’ was the internal tests, generally with unknown models.

Former member of the boy band Dominó, Klaus Hee, posed twice for G. Evangelical since 2021, he only regrets the second shoot, in 2006: “There was no need to go out again, but I asked for a fee 10 times higher than the first one”. The amount earned him a Honda Civic at the time. Currently, Klaus dedicates himself to gospel music. “I don’t want to show off too much, I prefer to sing and play praising the Lord”, he said.

AG was not the only one in the segment, the publication also had its competitors, such as Íntima, for the female audience — the big difference between the two is that in the second there were no photos showing erections. Frota, Klaus and Marco Mastronelli were the only ones who, besides the G, they also posed for Íntima.

Count me out of this

When contacted by F5, former BBBs Iran Gomes (BBB6), Rogerio Dragone (BBB4) and Caetano Zonaro (BBB1) did not want to comment on the essay for G. Asked about the Globoplay production, Zonaro limited himself to saying: “I know, but I did not accept to do the documentary”.

Former athlete Robson Caetano, 60, also says he rejected the streaming channel’s proposal: “I received the invitation to record, but I’m not willing to talk about it. If it were ten years ago I would have accepted, but now it doesn’t work anymore,” he told F5. Robson described the experience 24 years ago as “cool and unusual.”

Veteran actor Marcello Picchi, 75, has acted in several soap operas and, in 2000, at the age of 51, accepted the offer to strip naked for the pages of the magazine. Today he is laconic when talking about the photoshoot. “The magazine didn’t take off, it started with actors and athletes and then declined,” he says, closing the subject.

End of reign

For years, G Magazine reigned unbeaten, directing its content beyond erotica, with reports on health, behavior and culture. With a circulation of 130,000 (in specific editions), the magazine was a huge success before spreading online.

One of the main photographers in the editorial department, Bauer Rodrigues, 70, estimates that he has done around 300 shoots and says it wasn’t easy. “They all took work, people romanticize it, they think it’s a great time, but no; it’s difficult, you have to be very respectful.”

AG Magazine tried to keep up with the evolution of the internet and launched a virtual version, G. Online, which also showed videos, but failed to hold the audience. When asked if the ‘virtual era’ resulted in the outcome of the GFadigas says that this was an ending that was already kind of expected. “Repositioning after the internet was more difficult because sales were already lower because of all this [ensaios vazados em blogs]it was the way it was supposed to happen.”

In 2008, Fadigas sold the publication to a North American group. It was the beginning of its decline, with anonymous people on the covers. The final farewell was with Russian model Sergey Henir in 2013, after 176 issues. It was the end of blatant male nudity in Brazil.