Who is Andrew Tate, the self-styled 'king of toxic masculinity', and what charges does he face? (2025)

It's hard to navigate the internet without seeing something about Andrew Tate.

The kickboxer-turned-influencer, 38, has been notorious since he was removed from Big Brother in 2016 over a video that appeared to show him attacking a woman with a belt - a clip he claims was edited.

Tate has gone on to become a prominent social media influencer with more than 10 million X followers, known for promoting controversial right-wing views.

But controversy has reached new levels since 2022, when he was arrested in Romania along with his younger brother Tristan on suspicion of human trafficking and rape.

Soon after that the pair, who are dual UK and US nationals, became the subject of a separate investigation by police in the UK.

In the latest update, the brothers have flown from Florida in the US to Romania to fulfil legal obligations related to the criminal investigation against them.

The pair are also facing a criminal investigation in the US.

But what are all the cases about, and how has a kickboxer raised in Luton gone on to amass millions of followers?

Here is what you need to know.

The charges in Romania

The allegations levelled against Tate and his brother - along with two women arrested at the same time - centre around claims of rape, people trafficking and organised crime.

Having been arrested in December 2022, the brothers were charged the following June, accused of tricking seven women into sexual exploitation on fake promises of a relationship or marriage - a technique authorities labelled the "loverboy method".

It was alleged all four formed the group in 2021 to commit human trafficking in Romania and other countries - including the US and UK.

Alongside charges of human trafficking, Andrew Tate has also been charged with raping one of the victims, while his brother Tristan has been charged with instigating others to violence.

All four suspects deny the charges, with the brothers continually making the case for their innocence online and in interviews.

After the arrest in December 2022, the brothers were held in custody until March 2023 - when they were released under house arrest. The house arrest was later scrapped but they were told not to leave the country.

The authorities said at the time they also seized 15 buildings and areas of land, 15 luxury cars and 14 luxury watches belonging to the brothers.

But Tate was placed under house arrest again in August last year following a fresh investigation, after having his home raided by authorities.

In this second case, Romania's anti-organised crime agency DIICOT said it was investigating allegations of human trafficking, including the trafficking of minors, sexual intercourse with a minor, forming an organised criminal group, money laundering, and influencing statements.

It alleged the crimes took place between 2014 and 2024.

Tate's house arrest was again lifted in January 2025, though he was told he needed to remain in the country.

The Tate brothers are still facing the charges in Romania, but they are in the US after Romanian prosecutors allowed them to leave for the US last month.

In January 2024, a court also overturned the decision to seize the assets, which saw Tate regain access to his supercars, properties and designer watches.

As the brothers flew to the US, further assets - including five properties, six cars and company shares - were returned by Romanian courts.

The brothers were warned they must appear before judicial authorities in Romania if summoned, and were told by DIICOT that violating their obligations could "result in judicial control being replaced with a stricter deprivation of liberty measure".

It is because of this judicial control that meant the pair had to travel back to Romania on 22 March They are expected to check in with police on 24 March.

After arriving at Bucharest Henri Coanda International Airport by private jet, Tate vowed to clear their names in court, adding: "Innocent men don't run from anything."

Brothers wanted in the UK for separate criminal allegations

There is a separate criminal investigation against the Tates open in the UK.

Bedfordshire Police said in March 2024 that the investigation was into allegations of rape and human trafficking dating back to 2012 and 2015.

The constabulary obtained a European arrest warrant for the brothers last year, with the court of appeal in Bucharest ruling they would be extradited to the UK following the conclusion of legal proceedings in Romania.

As well as the criminal case, the brothers were last year served with civil proceedings papers on behalf of four British women who accused them of rape and assault.

The alleged victims are seeking "damages for injuries they suffered as a result".

A representative for the Tate brothers said they "unequivocally deny all allegations", both criminal and civil, and are "fully committed to challenging these accusations with unwavering determination and resolve".

Three of the British accusers were the subject of an investigation by Hertfordshire Constabulary, which was closed in 2019.

Criminal investigation in Florida

Florida has launched the latest criminal investigation into the Tates, with James Uthmeier, the state's attorney general, saying on 5 March its work was "active" into holding a preliminary inquiry.

It came after the brother's arrival in Florida prompted its governor Ron DeSantis to say the brothers were not welcome and that he would be directing the attorney general to examine their alleged crimes.

Announcing the investigation, Mr Uthmeier said: "Based on a thorough review of the evidence, I've directed the Office Of Statewide Prosecution to execute search warrants and issue subpoenas in the now-active criminal investigation into the Tate brothers."

Andrew Tate hit back, claiming US authorities are "trying to find crimes on an innocent man".

A recent lawsuit filed in Florida accuses both Tate brothers of conspiring to coerce a woman into sex work, luring her to Romania and defaming her after her testimony to Romanian authorities. The Tate brothers had previously sued her for defamation in 2023.

Trump believed to have helped bring brothers to the US

Days before the Tates were allowed to leave Romania for Florida, reports surfaced that the Trump Administration had been heavily pushing for their travel restrictions to be lifted.

Mr Trump denies any involvement in having the travel ban lifted, but Sky News' analysis of links on social media shows deepening ties between Andrew Tate and several people close to the US president.

The brothers have long been champions of the US president.

Speaking to the media outside a courthouse in Romania in January, Tate said: "Donald Trump is the future of the Western world, everybody knows it, and everybody needs to get in line and obey him. He runs the world. He's a good friend of mine and I'm going to help him."

He has been equally vocal in his support for Mr Trump on social media, and key members of the Trump administration have been returning the favour by voicing their support for the Tates.

It's an alliance that experts say could benefit both sides.

"In the political climate, Tate should serve as a valuable influencer for political movements. And he's got a huge ability to mobilise large online followings, and that's a big potential political asset," social media consultant Matt Navarra told Sky News.

"Social media is the new battleground and influencers are the new generals and Tate is perfectly aligned to Trump's mission."

Social media bans fail to limit Tate's influence

Tate has been the subject of several social media bans over the years, but they have done little to silence his controversial messages.

He was banned on X, then Twitter, in 2017 for his misogynistic views and hate speech, but his account was reinstated in November 2022 following Elon Musk's takeover, and the platform is now where he's most active.

He was banned from Facebook and Instagram in August 2022 for violating parent company Meta's policies on "dangerous individuals". He had 4.7 million Instagram followers before his official account was deleted.

He was then removed days later from YouTube for breaching hate speech rules - but fan channels have filled in the gaps, posting videos that reach millions of views.

TikTok has barred him from having an account but content posted under the hashtag Andrew Tate has been viewed billions of times.

In November 2022, analysis by the Centre for Countering Digital Hate (CCDH) identified more than 100 TikTok accounts that frequently promoted Tate's content, with a total of 250 million video views and 5.7 million followers.

His most controversial takes

Tate has suggested rape victims "bear some responsibility" for being attacked, said women "belong in the home" and referred to women as "property" of men.

Describing how he would react if a woman accused him of cheating, he said: "It's bang out the machete, boom in her face and grip her by the neck."

Read more:
Trump reacts to Tate's arrival in US
How Tate's business made millions - despite sex trafficking charges

In a video explaining why he moved to Romania, he said "probably 40% of the reason" he moved was because it would be easier to evade rape charges.

He added: "I'm not a rapist, but I like the idea of just being able to do what I want. I like being free."

Tate has also said he would rather date 18-year-olds than 25-year-olds because he can "make an imprint" on teenagers who have had fewer sexual partners.

In a 2017 tweet, he said: "Depression isn't real. You feel sad, you move on. You will always be depressed if your life is depressing. Change it."

Tate has denied holding misogynistic views and accused his critics of "twisting facts", although he has also described himself as the "king of toxic masculinity".

Hustler's University

Tate founded online learning platform Hustler's University, charging $49.99 a month for courses on money-making schemes such as dropshipping and investing in cryptocurrency.

The Guardian reported Tate's Hustler University members were told to flood social media with videos of him, which was described by experts as a "blatant attempt to manipulate the algorithm" and artificially boost his content.

In less than three months, the strategy propelled him to viral fame and potentially made him millions of pounds, the report said.

The Real World was launched as a revamped Hustler's University and similarly promises to teach users how to get rich quick and "escape the Matrix" - for a monthly or annual fee.

A massive cyberhack in late 2024 exposed how the site - which promises to teach followers how to get rich - was still generating around $5.65m (£4.4m) monthly, even with the brothers on house arrest.

Infamous Greta Thunberg row

In the week before his 2022 arrest, Tate sparked a row with climate campaigner Greta Thunberg on Twitter when he shared a picture of himself standing next to a Bugatti and said he owned 33 cars.

"Please provide your email address so I can send a complete list of my car collection and their respective enormous emissions," he tweeted, tagging Ms Thunberg.

Ms Thunberg responded by saying: "Yes, please do enlighten me", adding a fake email address mocking him and ending with the words "getalife.com".

Tate hit back with a video telling Ms Thunberg to "get a life". In the video he is smoking a cigar in a robe and is passed a stack of pizza boxes.

After Tate's arrest, the internet was buzzing with the theory that the Romanian-branded pizza boxes led police to him.

There's no evidence to back this up, but Ms Thunberg took the opportunity for another swipe at Tate, tweeting: "This is what happens when you don't recycle your pizza boxes."