A Brazilian evangelical pastor identified as Pastor Eduardo Costa has found himself at the center of a life-destroying controversy after being filmed walking near a bar in Goiânia wearing nothing but a white shirt, a blue thong, and a blonde wig.
The footage, shared across social media earlier this week, immediately turned Costa into a living meme, with locals going from mocking his outfit to calling him a symbol of evangelical hypocrisy.
Highlights
- Brazilian Pastor Eduardo Costa was filmed walking in public wearing only a white shirt, blue thong, and blonde wig.
- Costa claimed he was conducting a 'personal investigation' and wore the outfit to locate an address to serve a summons.
- Local reports and netizens say Costa has a history of cross-dressing and was previously caught loitering near bars and motels.
Now, Costa has broken his silence alongside his wife, missionary Valquíria Costa, claiming he was “conducting a personal investigation.”
But the internet isn’t buying it.
A Brazilian pastor was caught on video walking the streets at night while dressed as a woman
Image credits: Instagram / eduardo.costa.752487
The first video, reportedly recorded over the weekend, shows a man in women’s underwear and a wig walking casually through a parking lot next to a bar in the Urias Magalhães neighborhood of Goiânia.
The clip was sent anonymously to a popular local page and quickly exploded online.
Image credits: Youtube / bispoeduardocosta1154
It didn’t take long for netizens to find out the identity of the person in the video: Eduardo Costa, a self-described religious leader, gospel singer, and event officiant famous in evangelical circles.
Image credits: Instagram / goianiamilgraus
Despite maintaining a modest online following of around 1,600 people on his private Instagram account, Costa is well-known for being the creator of a gospel song titled Barrabás, which has garnered over 56,000 views on YouTube.
As the nighttime footage grew in popularity, so did the rumors surrounding Costa. Several netizens claiming to personally know the pastor came forward to say this was far from the first time.
In fact, cross-dressing had become a habit for him.
Image credits: Instagram / goianiamilgraus
Local netizens claimed he had been caught multiple times “loitering outside bars” dressed as a woman.
One commenter then dropped a bombshell accusation, claiming that Costa’s peculiar habit was precisely the reason for his previous marriage falling apart, as his former wife had allegedly spotted him “in a little red dress,” looking for intimate encounters near local motels.
Costa claimed he was conducting a “personal investigation,” and that he was filmed by someone who later tried to extort him
Image credits: X / flaviojbs
With his silence doing nothing but making the rumors grow, Costa decided to come forward and offer an explanation.
Posting a video on Instagram alongside his current wife, he not only confirmed that he was indeed the man in the footage but described the controversy as a massive misunderstanding.
Image credits: X / marianavieira_9
Image credits: Instagram / eduardo.costa.752487
“This is Bishop Eduardo Costa and my wife, Valquíria Costa. We are here to share our version of the events that are taking place,” he began.
Image credits: X / AndradeRNegro2
“Last night, I went to conduct a personal investigation of my own, and in the wrong way, I ended up putting on a wig and shorts,” Costa said, claiming the shorts were mistaken for a thong.
“I really did dress in an inappropriate manner, in an attempt to locate an address I needed in order to serve a summons.”
Costa then alleged someone secretly filmed him while hiding in the dark and later attempted to extort him.
According to the pastor, the person gave him until noon the next day to make a payment, or the footage would be released. He said the same individual even tried to contact his wife to demand money.
“We decided not to give in to the extortion attempt.”
Local outlets and netizens claimed this was far from the first time the pastor had cross-dressed
Image credits: X / portaldofato
Costa’s explanation was, to put it bluntly, massively ridiculed. Netizens at large didn’t buy his version of events. Moreover, many expressed worry for his wife, who was seen in the video visibly scared and confused.
Image credits: Youtube / bispoeduardocosta1154
“I had already told my wife I was conducting this investigation. She just didn’t know some details, such as the way I had gone about it,” he said in the video, before turning to Valquíria. “Right, my love?”
Image credits: Metropoles
Making things worse, local outlets claimed to have received a second video of the pastor walking on the streets dressed as a woman.
This time, however, he was spotted practically bare, wearing only a thong and a wig.
Image credits: Metropoles
While many online condemned the act of extortion and the ethics of filming someone without their consent, they nevertheless argued that Costa was doing serious damage not only to his personal life and loved ones, but to the very faith he claimed to represent.
Image credits: Youtube / bispoeduardocosta1154
The legal implications of the controversy for both Costa and the person who filmed him remain unclear. He has not confirmed whether he has filed a complaint regarding the alleged extortion attempt.
Image credits: Instagram / eduardo.costa.752487
For now, the Brazilian public has been left with more questions than answers, and the image of a self-proclaimed man of God caught in one of the strangest “undercover missions” ever recorded.
"Hypocrite." The pastor's explanation did little to repair his public image
