Actor

23 series in the catalog

Rafael Bastos Hocsman (Brazilian Portuguese: [ʁafaˈɛw ˈbastuz ʁoksˈmɐ̃]; born December 5, 1976), better known as Rafinha Bastos (pronounced [ʁaˈfĩɲɐ ˈbastus]) or simply Rafi Bastos, is a Brazilian comedian, actor, journalist and television personality.

International career

Bastos expanded his work internationally by moving to the United States to perform stand-up comedy in English. His work breaking into the American comedy scene has been noted by publications covering Brazilian artists abroad.

His global reach grew significantly with the release of his comedy special, Ultimato, on Netflix in 2018. The special was reviewed by international media and made available to a worldwide audience. In 2011, he was cited by The New York Times as one of the most influential personalities on Twitter, highlighting his significant presence on the platform.

Biography

Rafinha Bastos was born to a Jewish family in Porto Alegre, Brazil. His ancestors immigrated from Russia. He received a scholarship in 1999 to play basketball at Chadron State College in Chadron, Nebraska. Later, he played basketball in Brazil for SOGIPA, from Porto Alegre, in 2000, helping the team to win the title of the State Basketball Championship in Rio Grande do Sul.

Rafinha Bastos was a former host of "CQC" a popular TV show in Brazil. Since May 2010, he also hosts another TV show, "A Liga", which is broadcast by Band TV channel.

In 2010, Bastos, together with comedian Danilo Gentili and producer Italo Gusso, opened a comedy club in Brazil, in the city of São Paulo, called Comedians Comedy Club, closed down in 2020.

In 2011, Rafinha became famous worldwide after The New York Times named him the world's most influential person on Twitter.

In CQC's September 19, 2011 live broadcast, Bastos made an allegedly dark humor joke about singer Wanessa; when Marcelo Tas, the show's main host, remarked how beautiful the singer looked pregnant, Bastos replied: "Muito. Comeria ela e o bebê." ("Absolutely. I'd do her and the baby"). The joke caused controversy among audiences and was taken with severe criticism. Following the next broadcast on September 26, Bastos was suspended from the show. He was rumoured to have asked his resignation on his contract, but the fact was not confirmed. On October 13, Wanessa and her husband Marcus Buaiz sued Bastos for R$100,000 claiming personal injury. Currently, Rafinha works in stand-up comedy and regularly posts to YouTube.

In 2016, it was announced that Bastos would be a host on the Netflix reality show Ultimate Beastmaster.