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How to talk to the men in

your life about Andrew Tate
“When individuals like Tate become so popular
and influential, it normalises these sorts of
beliefs and behaviours.”

By Rebecca Reid
11 January 2023

In 2022, Andrew Tate was one of the most

googled people in the world. He claimed
that this meant he was more famous than
Joe Biden. Given that the most-searched
term was “Who is Andrew Tate?” there’s
arguably a logical flaw in that assertion.
But regardless, the former kickboxer went
from relative obscurity to enormous fame
and has become synonymous with
misogyny. But who actually is he? And
why should you be worried if any of the
men in your life are consuming his
material?

The top line is that Emory Andrew Tate III

was born in the US and raised in Luton. He
was a professional kickboxer, and then
went on Big Brother in 2016. When he
entered the house, it was pointed out that
he’d made various homophobic and
misogynistic comments on Twitter. After
six days, a video emerged where he was
seen slapping a woman and beating her
with a belt. Both Tate and the woman
claimed that it was consensual, but the
video was met with horror, and Tate was
removed from the Big Brother house. He
was banned from Twitter (then unbanned
of course) and has previously claimed that
depression isn’t real, that women should
obey men, that women should “bear some
responsibility” if they are raped and that
they “belong in the home.” In 2015, when
he was running a webcam company, he
was arrested by British police on
suspicion of sexual assault, having been
accused by two women. One of his
accusers told Vice News that while
working for Tate, she had been strangled
“at least five times.”

Tate claims to be a multi-millionaire. Via

his website, he offered coaching to men
who were unable to seduce women, and
he founded something called the Hustler’s
University (very much not an accredited
university), which apparently teaches you
how to make money from cryptocurrency,
but which was described by experts as a
“pyramid scheme.” Andrew and his
brother Tristan also ran a webcam studio,
hiring their girlfriends as employees. In
2022 Tristan and Andrew described the
business as a “total scam”, saying that
they had women tell “sob stories” to get
men to part with their cash.

Tate shares a lot of territory with

your average internet
provocateur. But his actions go so
much deeper than just saying
controversial things.

READ MORE

TikTok has finally removed

Andrew Tate – now we need
other men to hold him
accountable
Because standing up against
sexism is literally a matter of
life and death.
By Lucy Morgan

Between his horrible comments and his

shady businesses – Tate shares a lot of
territory with your average internet
provocateur. But his actions go so much
deeper than just saying controversial
things. In December 2022, Andrew and
Tristan, who were living in Romania
(apparently to avoid legal charges in the
UK), were arrested on suspicion of human
tra#icking, following (though apparently
not because of) an altercation with Greta
Thunberg. Their assets, including multiple
cars, were seized, and they remain in the
custody of the Romanian authorities.

By this point, you’ve probably got the

impression that Andrew Tate is a bad
person. And yet, despite all of it – human
tra#icking allegations, admitting that he
used women to scam money from men,
videos of him beating a woman, and a
litany of other vile actions, there are men
all over the internet who still remain
utterly devoted to Tate, claiming that any
evidence of wrongdoing is faked, and that
he is being punished for being a ‘truth
teller’. It seems that it really doesn’t
matter what Tate does – a core collective
of vulnerable men on the internet will
always love him.

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Robert Common is the founder and

managing partner of The Beekeeper
House, a mental health and addiction
treatment centre. He told me that to all
intents and purposes, Tate’s most devoted
followers have been radicalised. “It’s
essentially an extremist view that parallels
the types of tactics that terrorist
organisations use to recruit individuals to
their causes,” he tells me. “We live in an
increasingly polarised society. Those with
opinions that don’t fit what the masses on
social media, mainstream media or their
peers deem as ‘normal’ are forced to the
side-lines. When you’re in this position, it
can be challenging to have your voice
heard, or your voice gains more traction
than is warranted.

Someone like Andrew Tate and

his teachings become appealing
because there’s a perception that
gives you a platform to be seen
and listened to, which can be very
intoxicating if you’re not used to
it.
“Someone like Andrew Tate and his
teachings become appealing because
there’s a perception that gives you a
platform to be seen and listened to, which
can be very intoxicating if you’re not used
to it. Tate is pretending to represent this
group of overlooked individuals when he
actually does so for his own self-serving
purposes.”

READ MORE

This new initiative aims to

address toxic masculinity in
boyhood
It aims to ‘build critical
understanding of boys,
boyhoods and masculinities in
the UK’.
By Fiona Ward

In order to understand the scale of the

Andrew Tate problem, I asked the End
Sexism in Schools campaign if they think
that there is a real life correlation between
his popularity and increasing sexism in the
school environment. Katrina Handford,
who helps lead the campaign as well as
being the head of a mixed boarding
school, said: “Undoubtedly. When
individuals like Tate become so popular
and influential, it normalises these sorts of
beliefs and behaviours, not only for boys,
but for girls too, making it harder for
young girls to push back on comments –
whether they be inappropriate,
misogynistic or dangerous ones. It also
reinforces harmful ideas amongst boys
and young men that the only ‘acceptable’
emotions for them to experience and
express are anger and violence, and that
only through some kind of dominance can
they be truly masculine. This is dangerous
for boy’s mental and emotional wellbeing
whilst also perpetuating issues of male
violence against women.”

The size of his following

demonstrates that men all over
the world – the kind of men you
work with, have after work
drinks with, went to school with,
are quietly following him.
But it’s not just very young men who are
being seduced by Tate. The size of his
following demonstrates that men all over
the world – the kind of men you work with,
have after work drinks with, went to
school with, are quietly following him. So,
what do you do if you’re confronted by a
Tate fan?

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It might be tempting to express total

horror, but shaming isn’t going to help.
Robert Common explains: “The person in
question may be manifesting a more
significant, profound issue. This could be
a traumatic experience, a lack of
belonging, or a sense of insecurity – any
kind of vulnerability increases the chance
of being radicalised in one form or
another. It’s always hard when someone is
aligning with opinions that many of us find
offensive, distressing and potentially
dangerous. Regardless of your political or
social leanings, you should listen and
engage with those whose views you find
challenging – if you don’t, you risk
marginalising them further and pushing
them to greater extremes.”

READ MORE

Jeremy Clarkson's vile

comments about Meghan
Markle show misogyny must
be classed as a hate crime
Why aren't misogynists held
accountable for their harmful
actions?
By Lucy Morgan

Counsellor Michelle Ruth suggests a

gentler path, saying: “I would try to
understand their interest a little more.
Trying to understand what is appealing
about Tate may give you a clue as to what
they may be seeking out by following him.
In doing so, you may be able to discover
whether there is a ‘healthier’ or less toxic
option for them. It’s also helpful not to
criticise and really try to empathise with
that person’s experience, so that they
don’t feel rejected and simply feel
supported.”

If you do find that someone you know is a

secret Andre Tate fan, try to remember
that Tate might be vile, but he’s not
entirely stupid. Just as the diet and beauty
industries exploited women for decades
to sell products, men like Andrew Tate
exploit the vulnerabilities and insecurities
of men who don’t know how to be men.
Like charismatic cult leaders, these men
claim to be able to fix every unhappiness
and cure every ill. The men he is
radicalising are, to an extent, victims.

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