TikTok is under pressure to delete recordings of a controversial influencer and former Big Brother star accused of disseminating sexist ‘rape culture’ material to audiences as young as 13.
Andrew Tate, 35, is a British-American kickboxer who grew up in a Luton estate as the son of a catering worker and an American chess master.
However, in the past three months, the guy dubbed the “King of Toxic Masculinity” has had his name searched more than Donald Trump or Kim Kardashian.
Today, he’s claimed to be worth £24 million, with millions of social media followers and thousands of acolytes following in his £39-a-month ‘Hustler’s University.’
Throughout his six years in the spotlight, the former Big Brother contestant’s career has been marred by charges of sexism, bigotry, and human trafficking.
Tate’s meteoric ascent to prominence has been connected to the increase of British teens using the Chinese video sharing app TikTok, despite a successful kickboxing career in which he won two international championships.
Impressionable youngsters as young as 13 are exposed to the rants and raves of a guy who previously advised rape victims to “take responsibility” and has publicly recounted beating and strangling women on its dubious social media platforms.
Domestic violence organisations have cautioned that such information is very sexist and has the ability to radicalize males and cause damage in the real world.
Tate has sparked absurd statements that promote’male-female contact,’ such as tossing a woman’s goods out a window and referring to an ex-girlfriend as a ‘stupid h**.’
Tate says in one video tape, ‘It’s hammer out the machete, boom in her face, and grasp her by the neck,’ as he plays out how he would beat a lady if she accused him of cheating. ‘Shut up, girl.’
Tate’s professional kickboxing career started off when he was still in his twenties and working as a TV producer. He won a cruiserweight title in 2005 and his second title, the ISKA World Full-Contact Light Cruiserweight Championship, in 2013.
He made news again in 2016 after being thrown out of the Big Brother house after a video showing him striking a lady with a belt.
Later, video surfaced of Tate instructing a lady to count the injuries he allegedly produced. Tate and the lady in the video both denied any abuse happened and said the footage depicted a consensual sexual connection.
Other recordings show Tate freely recounting an incident in which he says he inadvertently shattered a woman’s jaw in a nightclub when his phone became entangled.
In another, he describes how police investigated him for allegedly assaulting a lady, which he strongly denies. He is said to have relocated to Romania about this time, claiming that he is “not a rapist, but I enjoy the concept of simply being able to do what I want – I like being free.” According to allegations published in the Daily Mirror, Tate and his brother, Tristan, made millions of dollars via webcam sites that target lonely men who fell for online models and their ‘false sob tales.’ The charges have been branded as a “complete fraud” by the two.
In April, local officials stormed the Tates’ Romanian estate after receiving information from the US Embassy that a 21-year-old American lady was being detained there without her will.
The investigation is still underway. The brothers were freed at the time and maintain their innocence.
His Twitter account had already been banned at this time because posts containing homophobic and racist obscenities were discovered on his page.
Tate urged his fans at the height of the #MeToo movement in 2017 that rape victims should ‘carry some responsibility,’ while mental health organisations criticized his remarks denigrating depression a year later.
His divisive beliefs have garnered him meetings and appearances with right-wing leaders like conspiracy theorist Alex Jones, Nigel Farage, Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, and Donald Trump Jr.
‘It is intolerable that such a blatant exhibition of bigotry is being given a platform,’ Amelia Handy, policy lead at Rape Crisis England and Wales, told MailOnline.
‘These movies are a clear illustration of rape culture, in which rape and sexual assault are minimized and survivors are held accountable for crimes committed against them.’ Sexual violence does not occur in isolation; it is deeply ingrained in the sexist notion that women and girls are less important than men and boys.
‘It is profoundly troubling that young people have access to information that teaches just this and normalizes sexual assault.’
‘TikTok has a duty to safeguard its users’ safety and well-being: by permitting these films on their platform, they fail to protect the millions of young people who use their app.’
According to various estimations, Tate’s net worth ranges from £20 to £230 million. In recent interviews, he claimed to have made his first million at the age of 27, and to have earned £100 million by the age of 31.
The influencer has benefitted from hundreds of online profiles that drive attention to his website, which provides training courses on “escaping the rat race” and amassing massive fortune.
Tate’s videos have been seen more than 11.6 billion times, despite TikTok’s community standards prohibiting sexist material and shell accounts.
According to an Observer investigation, Tate’s supporters were aggressively pushed to share his most contentious films throughout social media.
Tate’s internet following seems to be growing as a result of their efforts. Furthermore, it is believed that over 127,000 individuals have joined up for his non-accredited £39-a-month Hustler’s University.
Leading domestic abuse organizations, however, have cautioned that the TikTok footage shared by Tate’s followers online is ‘highly sexist’ and might have long-term consequences for a young audience.
Domestic abuse charity White Ribbon’s representative told MailOnline that negative behavior and attitudes toward women and girls may ‘normalize violence.’
‘Men and boys who are exposed to unfavorable portrayals of masculinity on a regular basis may tend to emulate these attitudes and behaviors, feeling that they are behaving as the “perfect man.”
‘This pertains to being seen as harsh, aggressive, and emotionless. These characteristics influence gender norms, defining what it means to be a man or a woman. Gender disparity is a direct effect of unfavorable preconceptions that limit women’s and men’s positions in society.
‘This not only puts a lot of pressure on men and boys, frequently impacting their mental health and self-image, but it also creates unsafe cultures and circumstances for women and girls to live in.’
‘Sexist and disparaging remarks racist on the same continuum as dominating behavior and physical and sexual assault, creating conditions in which men kill women.’
TikTok has been approached for comment.