Q&A: Who is Andrew Tate and what are the charges against him?
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Andrew Tate is in the headlines again as he appears before court in Romania after months of house arrest.
But who is Andrew Tate and how did he become the face of the misogynistic online movement?
Here, we take a look at the social media personality who is facing a number of criminal charges.
Tate, 36, is a dual British-US citizen and was raised in the US until his parents divorced and his mother moved him and his younger brother Tristan to the UK.
His father, Emory Tate, was a chess grandmaster and according to Andrew was largely absent during his childhood.
Tate initially had a career as a professional kickboxer, earning two world titles. At one point, he was ranked the second-best light-heavyweight kickboxer in the world.
He gained further recognition during a short stint on the 17th series of UK in 2016.
Tate was removed from the house in less than a week after homophobic and racist tweets of his were brought to light.
Producers of the show cited a video of him hitting a woman with a belt, although both Tate and the woman have said the incident was consensual.
In the years that followed, Tate amassed a large following of mostly young males as he positioned himself as a person who could help them gain money and status.
Through his website, he offered to teach those who forked out $49.99 per month how to make money and to live his lifestyle.
There are 41 “tenets” on Mr Tate’s website, the first of which is: “I believe that men have the divine imperative to become as capable, powerful, and competent as possible in this life.”
Paid subscribers on his website were encouraged to flood social media with his videos in an effort to spread his message.
Through social media and podcast appearances, Tate quickly made a name for himself with right-wing commentators.
The self-proclaimed misogynist became known for his sexist views, including that women who have been sexually assaulted or raped share some of the blame, that women belong in the kitchen and belong to men.
His wildly controversial statements, his displays of apparent wealth, and claims he can "get" beautiful women saw Tate grow in popularity, among young men especially.
An investigation by the in 2022 revealed how the TikTok algorithm promoted Tate's videos to male users.
In 2022, Tate was de-platformed by Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, and TikTok after his content was deemed to be in violation of guidelines.
Following Elon Musk's Twitter takeover, Tate had his profile reinstated and he currently has 6.9 million followers.
Charities and organisations around the world that are involved in helping victims of domestic and sexual violence have been vocal about the dangers of Tate's 'teachings' and the influence it is having on young boys.
On December 29, 2022, Tate was arrested in Romania where he has been living since 2017.
His brother and two Romanian women were also arrested.
The Tate brothers have since been charged with rape, human trafficking, and forming a criminal gang to exploit women.
Romania’s anti-organised crime agency alleged seven female victims were misled and transported to Romania, where they were sexually exploited and subjected to physical violence.
It said the alleged victims were later taken to buildings in Ilfov County in Romania where they were intimidated, placed under constant surveillance and control, and forced into debt, the statement said.
It is said the defendants then forced them to take part in pornography which was later shared on social media.
One defendant is accused of raping a woman twice in March 2022, according to the statement.
The men were detained in a Bucharest prison for three months until they were moved to house arrest.
On Wednesday, June 21, Tate appeared in a Romanian court where he was formally charged with rape, human trafficking, and forming a criminal gang to exploit women.
Tate has denied all allegations of abuse and trafficking.
With the indictment submitted to the court, the trial process will begin but not immediately.
The judge has 60 days to assess the file.
On Friday, June 23, the court extended Tate's house arrest by 30 days. The Bucharest Tribunal’s decision came days after prosecutors from Romania’s anti-organised crime agency, DIICOT, formally indicted Mr Tate after filing their criminal investigation in a Bucharest court.
All four defendants, Tate, his brother and two Romanian women, will remain under house arrest for 30 days, the court ruled, but the decision can be subject to an appeal within 48 hours.
Authorities have also requested the confiscation of the two men's assets, which they said included cryptocurrencies valued at about $380,000, 15 luxury cars and designer watches as well as land and property in Romania.
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