Social media companies have taken a stand against Andrew Tate, with Facebook, Instagram and TikTok removing the controversial influencer from their platforms.
Tate, who has soared in popularity in recent months, has been heavily criticised for his “misogynistic” views.
Viral videos of the 35-year-old see him expressing opinions such as “women can’t drive”, that 18-year-old women are “more attractive than 25-year-olds because they’ve been through less d***”, and that women should “shut the f**k up, have kids, sit at home, be quiet and make coffee”.
Following uproar on social media and calls from women’s rights charities, Meta and TikTok have removed Tate from their platforms.
Here’s everything you need to know.
Who is Andrew Tate?
Emory Andrew Tate is a social media influencer and former kickboxer.
He is also the founder of Hustler’s University, an online “academy” where members pay a monthly membership fee in exchange for advice on how to make a passive income from several online industries.
How popular is he and does he have a girlfriend?
While Tate has a huge Instagram following of 4.6 million, his popularity soared after videos of him began circulating on TikTok. At the time of writing, the hashtag #AndrewTate has accumulated 12.7 billion views.
Tate is rumoured to be in a relationship with Naghel Georgiana Manuela. He shared a photograph of himself and Naghel aboard a private plane to his Instagram in October 2021.
“Flying in my Jet with the only woman I trust. Magic powers,” he captioned the post.
What are the controversies surrounding him?
In 2016, Tate was booted from the 17th season of Big Brother after a video surfaced showing Tate hitting a woman with a belt. In a statement, Tate said the actions in the video were consensual.
Tate has been the subject of much criticism in recent weeks, primarily for his views on women, which have been denounced as misogynistic.
In one video in which he is seen discussing feminism, Tate said women should “shut the f*** up, have kids, sit at home, be quiet and make coffee”.
Some of his most viral video see him expressing opinions such as “women can’t drive”, that men can cheat but women can’t, and that 18-year-old women are “more attractive than 25-year-olds because they’ve been through less d***”.
In an interview with The Mirror in March, Tate and his brother Tristan revealed they run an adult webcam business, which employs lingerie-clad models to have chat sessions with men.
During the chats, which are charged at $4 (£3.30) an hour, the models tell male callers about “fake sob stories”.
The brothers admitted that the operation was a “total scam”, but they are protected by two lines in their terms and conditions.
Tristan said: “One is broadcasting is ‘for entertainment purposes only’. That means if a model says she has a sick dog or a sick grandma it doesn’t have to be true. The next is that all cash given to models is ‘a voluntary sign of gratitude for their time broadcasting’.”
Which social media platforms have banned him and why?
TikTok has confirmed it has permanently banned an account belonging to Tate as part of an ongoing investigation to remove content that violates its policies.
“Misogyny is a hateful ideology that is not tolerated on TikTok. We’ve been removing violative videos and accounts for weeks, and we welcome the news that other platforms are also taking action against this individual,” a spokesperson told The Independent.
However, most viral videos of Tate on the platform are shared by fan pages and other users.
TikTok said it is using technology to remove duplicated clips of Tate’s content from the platform altogether and is reviewing new content as it is shared.
Tate has also been removed from Facebook and Instagram. A spokesperson for Meta confirmed to The Independent that Tate had been banned from both platforms for violating its policies, citing the company’s guidelines on “Dangerous Individuals and Organisations”.
What have people said about him?
The extent of Tate’s influence became evident earlier this week when radio presenter and TV personality Abbie Chatfield revealed that she has been receiving abusive direct messages from Tate’s fans.
In an appearance on Australian talk show The Project, Chatfield said she had first-hand experience of how Tate’s views are influencing young boys.
“I’m getting DMs [direct messages] from what appears to be early teen boys, saying ‘I hope Andrew Tate destroys you’.
“I also get comments calling me Abby Tate, comments on TikTok especially. That’s where it’s really rife.”
In a statement to The Independent in response to Chatfield’s comments, Tate said: “Everyone is entitled to an opinion and open discourse is very important for society to find the truth.
“I receive 10,000 hateful messages a day from her fans also. She has caused me more hate than I’ve ever caused her.
“Truthfully I wish nobody received any hateful messages at all and we could discuss issues openly without fear. I wish her the best in all aspects of her life!”
What have women’s groups said about him?
Last week, White Ribbon, a charity that works to end male violence against women, raised the alarm that Tate’s videos could have a concerning effect on young boys and men. The organisation also called on TikTok to remove content about Tate from its platform.
“Men and boys regularly watching and listening to negative presentations of masculinity may begin to adopt these attitudes and behaviours, believing that they are acting as the ‘ideal man’,” the charity told MailOnline.
“This relates to being seen as tough, aggressive and suppressing emotion. These traits feed into gender norms, what ‘being a man’ and ‘being a woman’ is. Gender inequality is a direct result of traditional and negative stereotypes which confine women’s and men’s roles in society.”
They continued: “Not only does this create a lot of pressure on men and boys, often affecting their mental health and self-image, it also creates dangerous cultures and environments for women and girls to exist in.
“Sexist and derogatory comments exist on the same spectrum as controlling behaviour and physical and sexual violence, which creates environments where men go on to murder women.”
In a statement to The Independent in response to White Ribbon’s statement, Tate said he makes “many videos praising women”.
“As a success coach I talk about avoiding low value people. I often teach men to avoid friends who take drugs or only watch TV. I teach them to find good male friends and role models, and also say to avoid toxic people as a whole,” Tate said.
“This means I also say to avoid toxic women, as well as toxic men.Everybody ignored everything I say about avoiding bad men and only says I dislike women for saying avoid bad women.
“It has nothing to do for hate for women. Its simply about good and bad people. My mother is my hero.
“I play an online character and am brash and bravado but my views are pure and simply say to find the highest value men and women you can with good hearts.”
