Andrew Tate: Who is the controversial TikTok influencer?
If you’re a regular user of social media, namely Instagram or TikTok, it’s likely that you may have seen one or two videos of Andrew Tate on your feed in recent weeks.
Perhaps he was giving a motivational talk about how men can “level up”, or how he thinks people who vape are “stupid”. More likely, you may have stumbled across one his more popular videos in which he expresses divisive views on feminism and women.
Tate has made headlines in recent weeks for his controversial opinions, and has racked up a huge online following in the process. 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 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’.”
What have people said about him?
A petition to remove Tate from all social media platforms, which accuses the influencer of “preying upon the mental health of young men” and “grooming” them into “hating” women and girls, has reached more than 10,000 signatures.
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 has 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.”
