Editor’s note: The original January 2023 version of this article was lost. The Lee Daily Register rebuilt it in October 2026 from the sources cited below, and added what happened afterward. The original version said Thais Carla had no children and had never married; that was not accurate, as she was married to photographer Israel Reis and had two daughters. It also repeated a net worth range that it credited to Wikipedia, Forbes and IMDb. We found no such figure from any of those sources, and her net worth has not been made public.
Thais Carla is a Brazilian dancer and social media personality known for her dance videos and for pushing back, online and in court, against prejudice toward fat people.
Born Thais Carla da Rocha dos Santos in Nova Iguaçu, in Rio de Janeiro state, according to the Brazilian entertainment site OFuxico, she lives in Bahia and São Paulo with her husband, photographer Israel Reis, and their two daughters, Globo’s news site g1 has reported.
A breakout on national television
Carla first drew national attention in 2009, at 17, when she appeared on the “Se Vira nos 30” segment of TV Globo’s Sunday program “Domingão do Faustão.” She won a prize of 15,000 reais for a hip-hop routine, g1 reported.
Guest spots on other television programs followed. In 2017 she joined the dance group that performs with pop star Anitta, and she has since become a well-known face in the VIP areas of Carnival, including in Salvador, according to g1. Her social media feeds mix choreography with swimsuit photos that celebrate larger bodies.
Taking critics to court
Carla has turned to the courts when she believes attacks cross a line. In 2021, a special civil court in Salvador ordered comedian Léo Lins to pay her 5,000 reais in moral damages. The case centered on a video he made mocking one of hers, titled “Stuck on the plane: how to travel while fat,” and the court found he had used her image without permission and exposed her personal information, g1 reported.
In March 2022, a judge in Bahia ordered TV host Danilo Gentili to delete social media posts about her, finding them fatphobic. One post, from 2019, mocked a news story in which she had complained about the size of an airplane seat. The order set a fine of 150 reais a day, up to 30,000 reais, if he did not comply, g1 reported.
What happened next
In February 2023, Carla posted a photo of herself in body paint, dressed as Globeleza. Federal deputy Nikolas Ferreira shared the image with criticism, and her lawyers said they would seek 52,000 reais in damages for misuse of her image and harm to her honor, g1 reported. Ferreira did not respond to g1’s requests for comment.
On Jan. 5, 2024, she announced a singing career with the single “Não Pode Opinar,” written by Reis and DJ Leco JPA. By then she had more than 3.3 million Instagram followers and over 12 million on TikTok, g1 reported.
On April 28, 2025, she had bariatric surgery in Salvador after losing about 30 kilograms over the previous five months through diet and exercise. Reis confirmed the procedure to the celebrity news site Leo Dias. She said her family accepted her as she was, but she wanted more energy to play with her daughters and to dance, O Povo reported.
On July 10, 2026, Carla and Reis announced in a joint social media post that their marriage had ended after 11 years together. They said the decision was made respectfully and that they would keep raising their two daughters together, O Liberal reported. The paper said she had lost about 100 kilograms since the surgery.
