Why Influencer Andrew Tate Was Banned From Instagram, Facebook

Controversial influencer Andrew Tate was banned from Instagram and Facebook for what Meta called a violation of its policies.

A Meta spokesperson confirmed with Newsweek that Tate is no longer allowed to use both social media platforms as a result of violating company policies, citing Meta’s guidelines on “dangerous individuals and organizations.”

A former kickboxer and contestant on the hit reality series Big Brother in 2016, Tate has been making headlines and is widely known on social media for his controversial ideas, which have often been labeled as “dangerous” and “misogynistic.”

At the time of being banned, Tate had 4.7 million followers on Instagram.

In this photo illustration, the Facebook logo is displayed on the screen of an iPhone in front of a Meta logo on February 3 in Paris. Controversial influencer Andrew Tate was recently banned from Instagram and Facebook for policy violations. Chesnot/Getty Images

A British advocacy group known as Hope Not Hate expressed delight at the recent update from Meta to ban Tate. Joe Mulhall, director of research at Hope Not Hate, told the BBC that Tate “poses a genuine threat to young men, radicalizing them towards extremism misogyny, racism and homophobia.”

Mulhall added that his group is calling on TikTok to follow suit.

Tate was removed from the 17th season of Big Brother after a video was released showing Tate allegedly hitting a woman with a belt, which he said at the time was consensual.

Shortly after his appearance on the show, he began to rise in popularity. In 2017, Tate was also banned from Twitter after making comments that women needed to “bear responsibility” for being sexually assaulted during the rise of the #MeToo movement.

Since then, Tate has gained a large fanbase. He has become an icon for hypermasculinity, gaining millions of followers across platforms and fans from men’s rights activist groups and far-right influencers in the process.

In other videos, podcasts and interviews over the years, Tate has drawn criticism for his comments surrounding his treatment of women. In one video uploaded to Youtube by Barstool Sports, Tate said he needs to have “authority over women.”

“If I have responsibility over her, then I must have a degree of authority,” he said, adding later, “You can’t be responsible for a dog if it doesn’t obey you.”

He has also made comments on hitting women, calling female self-defense “bulls**t” and saying that “women can’t fight.”

“You’re incapable of fighting and you’re incapable of handling genuine violence,” he said.

In another video, he has stated that 18-year-olds are more attractive than women in their 20s because “they’ve been through less d**k.”

He has also expressed thoughts on how he believes women shouldn’t drive, he “doesn’t believe in depression” and that men can’t have feelings or show emotions.

According to the Daily Beast, Tate’s home in Romania was raided by police in April during a human-trafficking investigation. It was reported that there were claims of a woman being held in his house against her will, though Tate has not been charged or arrested for any crime.

Newsweek reached out to Meta and Andrew Tate for comment.