The disagreements between the former first lady and ()’s children have been going on publicly since the end of the presidential term, in December 2022, and involve disputes over political space, regional platforms and control of the former president’s image.
The most recent, this Wednesday (24), involved the senator and pre-candidate for President of the PL, . Michelle published videos on social media in which . The former first lady detailed a harsh phone call in which her stepson allegedly said that it would be better for her to “stay out of the party’s decisions” and that she “had arrived” in politics yesterday.
In response, Flávio, in the early hours of this Thursday (25), released an official note asking for and denying the intention to humiliate his stepmother.
Bolsonaro’s ex
(PL’s) mother, (PP), Jair Bolsonaro’s ex-wife, was using the name “Cristina Bolsonaro” in the race for the position of district deputy in 2022.
In September of that year, Michelle criticized candidates who use the name “Bolsonaro” in . Michelle said they exist by adding the candidate’s name to the ballot box.
The stepson on the internet: “My mother Cristina Bolsonaro had a life story with the current president Jair Messias Bolsonaro, where they were married for 16 years, and I am the result of this relationship; where there was partnership and a lot of love.”
In another publication in stories, Renan indirectly mentioned his stepmother: “Cristina Bolsonaro, who is in the running for a seat in the Legislative Chamber of the DF, has my support and made it clear that the speech of third parties, ‘Alpinista’, does not reflect reality”.
Post-election unfollow
The day after Jair Bolsonaro’s defeat at the polls, on October 31, 2022, social media profiles indicated that the former president and Michelle were on Instagram.
The former first lady went public and attributed the movement to the management of her husband’s networks, which was not carried out by him, but by (PL-RJ).
At the time, checks showed that Michelle maintained mutual support with Flávio and Eduardo Bolsonaro (PL-SP), but did not follow Carlos and Renan, a reciprocal distance that continues to this day.
Impasse over vice in Rio
The friction reached the partisan articulations, in the definition of the (PL-RJ) ticket for the City Hall of .
As national president of , Michelle defended a pure ticket with federal deputy Chris Tonietto (PL-RJ) to attract female voters. Flávio and Carlos preferred to give up the vice position to an allied party, such as .
According to allies, when Bolsonaro was still president, fights between Carlos and Michelle were frequent when they bumped into each other at the Palácio da Alvorada.
In July 2024, during the fifth edition of CPAC Brasil, in (SC), the federal deputy (PL-MG) published a photo in which Jair Bolsonaro appeared with his newborn daughter.
Carlos Bolsonaro commented on the post: “It’s cool for the guy to do this to his daughter and not to mine!”
Michelle responded to her stepson in the publication, writing: “May God free and keep our Aurora from all envy and evil.”
In March 2025, in , Michelle confirmed the definitive breakup and the total lack of dialogue with Carlos Bolsonaro. The former first lady due to Carlos’ rejection due to the fact that she was 27 years younger than the former president.
“He has his genius, I have mine. I’m not forced to live together, the Bible gives me that support”, considering that, despite preferring to stay away to avoid bigger problems, she had already forgiven the fights of the past and did not prohibit her husband from keeping in touch with their son or from traveling and fishing with him.
Two weeks earlier, Jair Bolsonaro himself had publicly endorsed the existence of the family rift, justifying the chronic disagreements between his wife and “02” as an old “jealousy problem” on the part of the Rio parliamentarian.
First clash over Ceará
In December 2025, in a political event in , negotiations of the local PL to support a possible candidacy of () for state government.
Federal deputy André Fernandes (PL) countered, stating that the agreement had the approval of Jair Bolsonaro and Valdemar Costa Neto, president of the PL. Flávio Bolsonaro criticized his stepmother, classifying her attitude as “authoritarian”, and received the support of Eduardo and Carlos.
During Christmas that year, Michelle recorded a video with mentions of , while Flávio released a letter signed by his father that made him official as a pre-candidate for President.
Eduardo’s criticisms and ‘bananas’
In February 2026, Eduardo Bolsonaro publicly demanded Michelle’s involvement in Flávio’s pre-campaign for the Presidency and criticized her and Nikolas Ferreira’s performance, accusing them of .
In response, Michelle published on Instagram a frying pan for her husband, then detained in the Papuda Complex. The movement was interpreted by Eduardo’s allies as a provocation to the pejorative nickname “Bananinha”.
At the end of March, the president of the PL, Valdemar Costa Neto, admitted the need to make the campaign viable and ruled out Michelle’s name for the vice position on her stepson’s ticket.
Retreat at TCU and conflicting health bulletins
In April 2026, Michelle after the senator withdrew his support for federal deputy Soraya Santos (PL-RJ) for a vacancy in the Federal Audit Court in favor of an agreement with União Brasil. “Attitudes will always prove that words are worthless”, published the former first lady.
In the same week, Carlos stated on the internet that his father’s health was deteriorating rapidly and that he was facing “interminable bouts of hiccups”, which was the following day.
Master case and distancing
Michelle told Sheet in May that he was not getting involved in Flávio’s pre-campaign crisis about ae, do, to finance the film.
Asked if she was monitoring the situation, Michelle replied: “I’m not getting involved in this. I have to take care of my husband.”
In speeches made that month, during an event to launch the pre-candidacy of businesswoman Maria Amélia (PL-DF), he again criticized the PL’s agreement with Ciro Gomes in Ceará, classifying it as .
At the event, she spoke using an immobilizing splint on her right wrist — an injury, according to Michelle’s allies, resulting from the daily physical effort to cook and help with the former president’s mobility.
