In spite of being banned from YouTube, Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok, Andrew Tate claims to have a “very, very pure heart” and maintains that his inflammatory comments about women were “taken out of context.” He also claims he is not “the number one monster on planet.”
The ex-Big Brother participant, 35, stated in a last “goodbye” video message on Tuesday night that his video material had been “vilified” and that he would be taking “a vacation” from podcasting.
The former kickboxer called much of the criticism he has faced “false narratives,” said he has “done nothing wrong,” attends to church, and that “God and I know of my innocence.” He also said that he and God are aware of his innocence.
Jake Paul, a fellow YouTube celebrity, published Tate’s hour-long epistle and argued that he should have the right to “freedom of expression.” Tate constantly refers to himself as “the most famous guy on the world” throughout the letter.
Tate originally gained attention when he made an appearance on the television programme Big Brother in 2016. However, he was fired from the show when a video leaked online that looked to show him using a belt to hit a lady, a tape he said was altered.
Since then, he has acquired further prominence online for a number of remarks he has made regarding women, including one in which he implied that women should “carry some blame” if they are attacked. This statement earned him a Twitter ban.
Tate gave advice to guys in one video, telling them to “knock out the machete, boom in her face, and grasp her by the neck” if their women suspected them of cheating. Be quiet, b***h.
Tate, who was born in Chicago, Illinois, but was raised in Luton, Bedfordshire, has also built a name for himself via his many business ventures.
He ran a website called “Hustler’s University” where users could enrol and pay a monthly fee to obtain dropshipping and cryptocurrency training. Tate’s supporters received commission for recruiting new members, which prompted detractors to call it a “pyramid scam.” This month marked the end of the marketing campaign.
He reportedly established a webcam company in Romania with his brother Tristan where young models gave unwary male viewers sob tales. Tate claimed to have gained millions from the website despite telling the Sunday Mirror that it was “a terrible hoax.”
But Tate is most known for his controversial films, which are quite popular among young guys. Over 11.6 billion people have seen videos on Instagram with the hashtag Andrew Tate, while over 13 billion people have watched videos on TikTok.
Tate said in his farewell letter from yesterday night that the “attacks” on him were “masked behind the virtue of caring about women.”
None of the individuals assaulting me care about women, support women’s charities, give to charities, or assist those in need in the same way that I do, he said.
Tate claimed to have a “distinct point of view,” to which he welcomes challenges, and to have “no issue with being despised.”
But he acknowledged that he “does have a problem” when people take excerpts from his films and put them “out of context,” “removing the tone,” and “accusing him of crime.”
He asserted that he became the “most googled man on the planet” and that he was a “victim of his own success” because it made people want to find “any little clip” that they could “blow up” to be “as controversial as possible” – because “they want the views for themselves” – and that is why he was the “most googled man on the planet.”
Insisting that he had a good impact “on millions,” Tate said that “thousands” of men have messaged him to tell that his films on “how to conquer depression” have “saved them from suicide.”
He said, “Public awareness has actually bought into a narrative where people think I’m dangerous.”
We speak about men’s mental health, as when Paddy Pimblett simply battled and said if you had issues with mental health you should come forward. All I have done is rescue people from despair.
After losing his buddy Ricky, who sadly committed himself before Pimblett’s triumph at UFC London, Pimblett is seen saying in the film that he would rather to carry his friend’s head on his shoulder “than carry his coffin.”
Tyson Fury’s discussion on mental health is then shown, and Tate continues, “Everyone tells us males, you should chat more, talk to us.”
By using my aspirational lifestyle, which is a lifestyle most men would love to have because of the finances, the cars, the freedom, etc., I encourage people to work hard, try their best, and to become the best version of themselves. I try to encourage men to be strong, I say listen, if you’re depressed get in the gym, a strong body is a strong mind.
Tate, who calls himself the “most important person on the globe,” acknowledged that he “blames himself” for the predicament he is in.
The more people he reaches, the more he needs to “make sure” that his videos aren’t “taken out of context,” he said, adding that he has to “adjust my message in pace with my celebrity.”
The influencer said, however, that he is finding it difficult to function out of concern that his work would be “misrepresented and weaponized.”
He said that he had contracts with some of the “largest podcast businesses in the world,” but added that he has chosen to “take a sabbatical” and that “with impact comes enormous responsibility.”
Even with my brilliant intelligence, I doubt that I can come up with a means to prevent even one phrase from being misinterpreted, he said.
Despite being dubbed “the most famous guy on the globe,” he stated that he loves women and claimed that he had never been accused of rape or sexual assault.
He confirmed at the video’s conclusion that he was taking a break from podcasting and added that he was a good person since he restored an orphanage in Romania and ran a dog rescue.
Tate was most recently indefinitely banned from YouTube for breaking its hate speech policies.
According to the website, Tate’s channels had been deleted for violating its terms of service, after similar actions taken by Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok.
He had 4.7 million Instagram followers at the time of his deactivation, a significant increase from the roughly one million followers he had in June, just two months before.
Several advocacy organisations have criticised Tate for his opinions and warned that he poses a risk to young men and boys who see his online material, pleading with the different platforms where he is active to ban him.
“We are thrilled that following talks with YouTube and our public advocacy, they have permanently deactivated his account,” said Joe Mulhall, director of research at Hope Not Hate.
“Andrew Tate’s YouTube channel was a major hub for bad information that spread quickly online.”
But for the internet to become a safer environment, more action is needed from all major digital platforms. Tate’s material does not immediately disappear from platforms when his accounts are deleted.
According to TikTok, it has been taking legal action against accounts and videos that are considered to be in violation of its community standards.
A representative for TikTok stated: “Misogyny is a horrible ideology and is not accepted on TikTok.”
“We have been taking down infringing videos and accounts for weeks, and we appreciate the news that other platforms are now taking action against this person.”
As a result of breaking its policies on harmful organisations or people, Meta said it had deleted the polarising influencer’s official profiles and had therefore barred him from using Facebook or Instagram.
In response to the bans, the former Big Brother contestant told MailOnline that his platform will serve as a “beacon of light, educating people of all genders and ethnicities how to respect one another” and that he was “a tremendous role model for all people, both male and female.”
The contentious background of influential Andrew Tate
2012:
Tate’s earlier tweets were discovered, showing what seem to be hostile words he made to singer Cheryl over her marriage to footballer Ashley Cole.
In one communication, he attacks Canadian artist Drake and refers to Cheryl and her ex-husband as “huge w*g sockets.”
The now-deleted statement, “If I wanted to see black people running, I’d simply scare them with employment,” is also attributed to him.
JUNE 2016:
After a video showing Tate striking his ex-girlfriend with a belt surfaced, the 35-year-old was fired from the Channel 5 reality programme. Tate believes that this is the reason he was fired the day before.
“With my Instagram feed, I started to disprove all of the unfavourable stories and demonstrate tolerance to the world.” The world would become better if my supporters followed in my example of love and tolerance.
Even my fans were given instructions to treat individuals who disagree with me with respect. Death threats would be met with respect and reason from my supporters. Hatred solves nothing. It is love.
On the platform, I was getting more than 10,000 death threats every day. Instagram didn’t care. When all of my postings were biblical passages and contributions to charities, I somehow manage to come across as the bad guy. By excluding me, you merely encourage more online trolls and conflict. For the foreseeable future, this will be a tool of attack for many viewpoints.
The most effective thing Instagram could have done is to enable me to come back and teach the current generation of adolescents the value of respecting one another.
“I just want to convey positivity toward ALL PEOPLE, whether they are male or female, and this is evident in all of my most recent messages and postings.
I was raised by a single mother and am a guy of mixed ethnicity. I experienced every drawback of the old world. I am an excellent role model for everyone, male and female.
A YouTube representative told Bloomberg that Mr. Tate’s channels had been taken down due to “many breaches” of the site’s community rules and terms of service, including its hate speech policy.
The statement said, “If a channel is terminated, the uploader is not permitted to use, own, or create any other YouTube channels.”
Observing that videos of Mr. Tate are frequently widely shared by his followers and supporters, online safety and anti-hate campaign groups said they have been warning about the dangers of his online commentary for some time. They urged social media platforms to take action beyond simply banning personal or linked accounts he was known to use.
A hashtag with Mr. Tate’s name on TikTok has received more than 13 billion views, prompting campaigners to call for additional action to be taken to stop the spread of what they claim is dangerous content. Videos of and about Mr. Tate have become increasingly popular in recent months on YouTube and TikTok in particular.
Ruth Davison, CEO of the women’s safety organisation Refuge, praised Meta for taking the “correct move” last week when it barred Mr. Tate from its channels.
This type of forceful action, she said, is required to combat the radicalization of young men online into a virulently sexist worldview.
“The same type of action is now required outside of high-profile situations like these,” the statement reads. “We know that women are enduring stalking, harassment, and abuse online every day, sometimes without so much as a comment from social media corporations.”
The Center for Countering Digital Hate’s chief executive, Imran Ahmed, said that Mr. Tate’s “hate” had been “amplified into millions of young men’s newsfeeds.”
He said that in order to combat films featuring Tate or amplifying his beliefs, social media sites have to step up their efforts.
There is work to be done. Tate invites his fans to share his films on their own channels with a link to his website. Tate continues to be featured in video as part of his Hustler’s University Ponzi scam. Videos on YouTube that accomplish this abound and have earned Google millions in advertising income, he said.
“Meta should now go further and make sure that other persons uploading videos with Mr. Tate are penalised for violating their community rules on hatred, and prohibit the posting of links to his website, which has content intended to radicalise young males.”