He first rose to fame as a kickboxer before gaining notoriety during a 2016 stint on reality TV show Big Brother, and now controversial influencer and self-proclaimed 'misogynist' Andrew Tate is facing trial in Romania for rape, human trafficking and organised crime charges. Tate, along with his brother Tristan, vehemently denies all charges.
A new BBC documentary Andrew Tate: The Man Who Groomed The World? claims to uncover the truth behind the notorious ex-kickboxer and his exclusive all-male society, the War Room, by presenting evidence from a 13-month period of women being allegedly groomed into sex work by a so-called 'secret ringleader' at the top, known by the alias 'Iggy Semmelweis'.
As the investigative film airs at 10.40pm tonight on Wednesday, September 13, on BBC One, we take a look at everything extremist Tate has said about women over the years, and how his violent and radical views have helped him garner millions of cult-like social media followers worldwide, and become a 'self-made trillionaire', as he calls himself.
What has Andrew Tate said about women?Image:
AFP via Getty Images)In videos online, Tate has said that women are a man's property, belong in the home and cannot drive. He has said that he only dates women aged 18-19 because he can "make an imprint" on them, and has spoken about hitting and choking ex-partners and stopping them from going out. In one clip, he said: "I'm not a rapist, but I like the idea of just being able to do what I want. I like being free."
His actions towards women were the reason he was ejected from the Big Brother house in 2016, after a video of him hitting a woman with a belt appeared online. Another of him telling a woman to count the bruises he apparently caused to her followed. Both Tate and the woman denied it was abuse, and said the clips showed consensual sex.
At the height of the #MeToo movement in 2017, Tate repeatedly said that rape victims must "bear responsibility" for their attacks and demonstrated in one video how he would physically assault a female partner if she ever accused him of cheating. "It's bang out the machete, boom in her face and grip her by the neck. Shut up b***h," he said.
He has described women as "intrinsically lazy" and said there was "no such thing as an independent female". In a video, he said: "Females are the ultimate status symbol. People think I'm running around with these h**s because I like sex. That's nothing to do with the reason why I'm running around with these b*****s. I got these b*****s just so everyone knows who the don is."
In an interview on YouTube, Tate admitted he was "absolutely a misogynist", and said: "I'm a realist and when you're a realist, you're sexist. There's no way you can be rooted in reality and not be sexist." In another video, he said: "Why would you be with a woman who's not a virgin anyway? She is used goods. Second hand."
How does Andrew Tate make his money?Image:
AFP via Getty Images)Raised on an estate in Luton, Tate now boasts his lavish lifestyle online and claims to be the 'world's first trillionaire'. On a Twitch stream with Adin Ross, he told the host: "I don't want to brag, but I'm a trillionaire, world's first. I was broke for a long time. I made my first million when I was, say 27, and then I had 100 million by the time I was 31, and then I became a trillionaire quite recently." He is frequently seen showing off his money in expensive sports cars, private jets and designer clothes, as well as owning large properties and expensive watches.
He has said that he earned most of his money through "a little webcam business from my apartment". In a podcast interview, he claimed: "I had 75 women working for me in four locations and I was doing $600,000 (£480,0000) a month from webcam." In a now-deleted page on his website, he said: "My job was to meet a girl, go on a few dates, sleep with her, test if she's quality, get her to fall in love with me to where she'd do anything I say and then get her on webcam so we could become rich together."
His brother Tristan told the Mirror last year that their business, which saw men pay to talk to women online, was "all a big scam" but said authorities couldn't stop them. Tate admitted that his employees pose as models and use 'sob stories' to entice wealthy men to transfer them lump sums of money. He said: "It's an operation of professionals who lure these men in." Tristan added: "Men will give all they have. I've seen men sell cars, TVs... This guy's gran passed away and they were waiting for the sale of the house. When the house was sold he'd get £20,000 and promised it to [a model], to pay for her fake financial problem."
Tate's fortune is also thought to have grown through crypto-currency trading, and his online 'Hustler's Academy' whereby 168,000, of mostly men and boys, pay him $49.99 (£40) a month for tips on 'achieving financial freedom'. Tate was a social media influencer before he was banned from YouTube, Instagram, Facebook and TikTok for violating website rules over 'toxic' comments against women. TikTok said that "misogyny is a hateful ideology that is not tolerated" on its platform. He was banned from Twitter but has since been reinstated.
But despite being banned from the platforms, Tate's misogynistic narrative still reigned supreme on the newsfeeds of many young men’s social media because his fans continued to spread content glorifying him and his nasty views. “He does not rely on his own accounts and this is one of the reasons why de-platforming him wasn’t particularly effective, but instead he uses a kind of army of boys and young men to post clips of his content,” Dr Tim Squirrell, Head of Communications & Editorial at the think tank Institute for Strategic Dialogue told the Mirror.
The recent BBC Three documentary titled 'The Man Who Groomed The World' is focused around another alleged War Room member; however, the BBC have used Andrew’s name to shamelessly garner clicks and views in a biassed and sensationalised attempt to damage Andrew’s reputation.
The allegations are entirely baseless and without merit. Andrew has never engaged in any of the activities or behaviours described in the documentary and whilst he does encourage his supporters to consider joining The Real World and The War Room, he does not take an active leading role in these organisations. The documentary's reliance on text messages and screenshots as evidence raises serious concerns about their authenticity and the possibility of fabrication to fit a predetermined narrative.
Andrew Tate is a public figure who, like anyone else, deserves fairness and due process when faced with allegations or criticism. It's important to remember that accusations should be substantiated with credible evidence, not circumstantial evidence, before passing judgement. We believe in the principles of innocent until proven guilty and encourage a fair, unbiased examination of any claims made against Andrew and Tristan Tate. It's essential to avoid rushing to conclusions and to ensure that individuals are treated fairly and justly in the court of public opinion.
It is common knowledge that Matt Shea holds a personal vendetta against Andrew and Tristan after his Vice documentary, ‘The Dangerous Rise of Andrew Tate’, failed to turn supporters against our client. It is also worth noting that Matt Shea originally put his documentary behind a paywall, before selling to the BBC, to earn money from the vast amount of fans and supporters that Andrew and his brother have.
It is concerning that a publicly funded and respected institution like the BBC would allow such a lapse in journalistic ethics. It is our firm belief that the BBC, as a public broadcaster, should uphold the highest standards of impartiality in its reporting. However, recent articles and documentaries, surrounding the Tate brothers, have raised concerns about their impartiality. We believe that maintaining a neutral and balanced perspective is essential in providing fair and accurate news coverage to the public. We encourage the BBC to continually strive for impartiality in all its journalistic endeavours.
In conclusion, we want to reiterate that Andrew Tate vehemently denies all allegations made in 'The Man Who Groomed The World,' and we believe that the documentary may have engaged in the manipulation of evidence to suit its agenda. We are committed to pursuing all available avenues to clear Andrew’s name and to hold the BBC accountable for its actions. Together with his legal team they are currently reviewing all available options to address the false allegations made in the documentary and the unprofessional conduct displayed.
We remain committed to showcasing real-life success stories from our members in The War Room and The Real World. While we have experienced past reluctance from the media to report on these achievements, we want to emphasise that we are open and willing to provide them with firsthand accounts and evidence of the positive impact The War Room and The Real World has had on individuals' lives. We are here, ready to share these stories whenever the media is ready to listen.
Andrew Tate: The Man Who Groomed the World? is on BBC One at 10.40pm tonight
