Controversial internet personality Andrew Tate continues to be the subject of virulent online discourse, as the number of platforms banning his content continues to tick upward.
The 35-year-old influencer first rose to prominence as a kick boxer before shifting his focus to content creation on social media. He’s been a polarizing figure for years now, thanks to his dedication to regurgitating fringe and often offensive talking points, like that depression isn’t real and victims of sexual assault are partially at fault. In 2022, despite significant backlash and several bannings, Tate’s reach somehow expanded, elevating him to near cult-like status in certain circles. It’s his views on women, in particular, that are sparking concern among many, as his ideals — that women are property, belong in the kitchen, and are akin to children or dogs — spread through his largely male, and often young, audience.
Tate’s online image took a significant hit in April 2022, after his house was raided by the Directorate for Investigating Organized Crime and Terrorism of Romania (DIICOT) following suspicions of “human trafficking and rape,” according to The Guardian. This still wasn’t enough to loosen his hold on some of his most troublingly zealous followers, however, particularly in light of Tate’s continued denial.
Tate’s grip on his most avid followers is only beginning to slacken thanks to the efforts of numerous social media platforms. A wave of bans started hitting Tate in the wake of his legal struggles and controversial statements, leaving him with far fewer avenues through which to share his toxic viewpoints.
Every social media platform Andrew Tate is banned on
Tate was first blocked from one of his social platforms back in the late 2010s, when he first started to share his controversial opinions online. Several of his Twitter accounts received suspensions over the years, typically following some fresh vitriolic statement from the misogynistic personality. In the wake of far more severe backlash in recent weeks, however, a number of additional platforms have hit Tate with bans. He’s already been banned from four social media platforms, and more are likely to follow.
Tate’s profiles were removed from both Facebook and Instagram in mid-August, following various news reports about his toxic and potentially damaging behavior. The company that owns both platforms, Meta, confirmed that both bans are intended to be permanent, despite Tate’s high follower count.
Tate had more than 4.5 million followers on Instagram before his account was permanently banned. In an almost unprecedented move for the notoriously slow-to-task company, Meta was one of the first to see Tate’s profiles banned. The bannings came, in part, following a dedicated online campaign to see Tate fully deplatformed.
TikTok
Soon after Facebook and Instagram made the decision to ban Tate, TikTok followed suit. In recent months, Tate has been leaning far more on the popular video-sharing app to spread his misogynist messages, so his removal from its ranks severely hurt the influencer’s reach. A TikTok spokesperson said, in the wake of Tate’s ban, that “misogyny is a hateful ideology that is not tolerated on TikTok,” and that more content in a similar vein will likely be removed in the coming months. Tate’s ban from TikTok is, like the Meta ban, permanent.
YouTube
On the heels of his TikTok ban, Tate was also slapped with a permanent ban from one of his most popular platforms: YouTube. The platform announced via a spokesperson that it “terminated channels associated with Andrew Tate for multiple violations of our Community Guidelines and Terms of Service, including our hate speech policy.”
