Brazilian Author Camila Fremder Accidentally Joins the Wrong Podcast — and Becomes a Viral Meme

Originally published in CastNews in Brazil, and reproduced with permission

A mix-up between two similarly named podcasts has taken Brazil’s internet by storm this week. Camila Fremder, a well-known writer, podcaster, and social media personality, accidentally appeared on the wrong show — and her awkward realization quickly turned into one of the country’s most viral moments of the year.

Fremder, 43, is a prominent figure in Brazil’s digital culture. She created the hit podcast É Noia Minha? (“Is It Just Me Being Paranoid?”), where she humorously discusses anxieties and everyday quirks, and is also the author of several books. Her work — often witty, ironic, and self-deprecating — has made her a familiar voice to Brazilian audiences.

This week, Fremder believed she was scheduled to appear on Venus Podcast, one of Brazil’s largest female-led interview shows, launched in 2021 by Flow Studios and boasting over 1 million YouTube subscribers. Instead, she mistakenly walked into Vênus Day Talks, a much smaller program created in 2024 by siblings José Augusto and Renata de Paula, which focuses on themes of maturity, menopause, and women’s health.

The confusion only became clear once Fremder sat down in the studio. In a TikTok video explaining the situation, she recounted how she initially assumed the unfamiliar set was simply a redesign. At one point, she even mistook host Renata de Paula for a makeup artist. “I didn’t know where I was,” she laughed in the video, which has since been shared widely on social media.

Clips of the 44-minute interview spread rapidly online, with many comparing it to “the longest meme in history” or an “unreleased episode of The Office.” Fremder’s visible discomfort with the show’s coaching-style tone only fueled the viral reaction.

The case has also reignited debates about podcast branding in Brazil. While Fremder took the mishap lightly — suggesting it might be wise to avoid such similar names — Yasmin Ali, host of the original Vênus Podcast, was less forgiving, calling the duplication “unethical” and hinting at possible legal action by Flow Studios.

Despite the embarrassment, Fremder emphasized she was well-received by the Vênus Day Talks team and urged her fans not to attack the smaller show. Meanwhile, the episode has already become the most-watched in Vênus Day Talks’ history, surpassing 200,000 views — far beyond its usual audience of just a few thousand subscribers.

What began as a scheduling oversight has turned into a cultural flashpoint in Brazil’s booming podcast industry, highlighting both the medium’s explosive growth and the challenges of brand recognition in a crowded digital landscape.