Explainer | Who is Andrew Tate, and why was the ‘king of toxic masculinity’ arrested in Romania?
- An eventful week for the ex-kickboxer and self-proclaimed misogynist saw him feuding with activist Greta Thunberg and being detained for human trafficking
- Tate has a long history of sexist comments, including victim blaming and encouraging violence towards women
Social media influencer Andrew Tate made headlines twice this week: First on Wednesday, when he beefed on Twitter with Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg, then on Thursday, when he was arrested in Romania on human trafficking charges.
But even before Tate’s arrest, the social media influencer and former kickboxer built a colossal following online as an apparent men’s self-help guru. Tate has described himself as a misogynist; an admirer dubbed him “the king of toxic masculinity”.
His lengthy interviews with podcasters are often edited down and widely shared by both his supporters and detractors, honing in on a laundry list of sexist comments toward women including victim blaming and encouraging violence toward women.
Some critics who have tuned in to Tate’s long history of hateful speech were not surprised by this week’s arrest, instead seeing it as a possible situation of words meeting actions.
Who is Andrew Tate?
Born in the US and raised in both the US and England, Tate’s first claim to fame came as a kickboxer. During his professional career, which started in 2007, Tate won multiple world titles within the International Sport Kick-boxing Association while fighting out of the UK.