Breaking: Gabriel Medina Is Not Going To Be A Daddy

Gabriel Medina is not going to be a dad — though for about 24 hours, most of the surfing world thought he was. A photoshopped ultrasound of a baby clutching a surfboard, a hand-on-the-belly photo, and a few conveniently ‘leaked’ Instagram Stories later, and voilà: the internet had just witnessed surfing’s strangest fake pregnancy.

On Sunday, October 19, the three-time World Champion posted the image on Instagram. Alongside it came a photo (now removed) of Medina and his girlfriend, model and influencer Isabella Arantes, with his hands gently resting on her belly — the classic “we’re expecting” pose.

Within minutes, the internet caught fire. Brazilian outlets first, and then the rest of the surfing world, and then us (we’ve been busy, ok?), rushed to publish headlines announcing that Medina was going to be a father. Fans flooded the comments with congratulations.

Then Isabella stoked the flames. On her close friends Instagram Stories, she “confirmed” the pregnancy, saying she’d explain everything later because her phone was “blowing up.” In another post, she joked that Medina had “leaked” the news before their official announcement.

She wrote: “I’ll pop on here tomorrow to talk — my phone’s freezing. But that’s it: from now on it’s baby/kid stuff. Also why I’m cleaning out the wardrobe lol — mum’s on.” In another clip, with Gabriel visible in the background inside the car, she added: “I want to kill him for posting — it was supposed to wait for the photoshoot.”

By that point, the rumor was unstoppable. Even Medina’s peers joined in: João Chianca, Filipe Toledo, Mick Fanning, Jack Robinson, Strider Wasilewski, and the official WSL account all congratulated the couple. Even Rip Curl, Medina’s main sponsor, commented on the post — all celebrating a baby that didn’t exist.

A day later, the real reveal came, which, in hindsight, was obvious to everyone — except, well, us. Did we mention we’ve been busy?

The baby wasn’t real — it was a marketing campaign for Medininha, a new kids brand created by Medina. “And just like that, Medininha is born,” he wrote. “A character inspired by my story, made to bring surfing and love for nature to new generations.”

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A post shared by Gabriel Medina (@gabrielmedina)

Many people were crushed by the revelation. They had been thoroughly hoodwinked, left to grapple with the harsh reality that, for the moment, the world would not be blessed with Gabriel Medina’s offspring.  They called the stunt “cheap,” “childish,” or “embarrassing.”

Isabella’s PR team confirmed to local media that it wasn’t about a pregnancy, but rather a “Medina project for children,” and “that’s why they made the posts.” People close to the surfer told us that the secrecy went far beyond the public — even close friends had no idea the posts were part of a campaign.

Considering the attention his post generated — 300k likes, 5,000 comments, 30k shares — it was quite a finely tuned PR stunt. Does Medina’s cold-blooded, killer instinct extend to the world of business?  If so, Jeff Bezos might want to start installing some mirrors in his office.

Medina has said many times that being a dad is his “biggest dream.” Maybe one day that post will come for real. Hopefully next time, it won’t be part of a campaign.