Andrew Tate, former kickboxing champion and housemate in CBS’s 17th season of “Big Brother”, took the world by storm during the summer of 2022. Tate’s absurd viewpoints on controversial topics such as women’s rights are chiefly responsible for his rise to fame, or perhaps infamy. His content was reposted all around social media, and several content creators hosted live debates with Tate through streaming services like Twitch, facilitating his rise to stardom by providing him a platform. However, his accounts and content have recently been blocked and removed from all social media services for guideline violations.

“I don’t think that he 100% truly believes what he says. To an extent he does, but I think he does it for attention, and it worked because most of the people that talk about him are the people that don’t like him,” senior Armando Camejo said.

Tate embraces his role as an actor on a stage. Whether or not he believes in the things he says is irrelevant since it serves the same purpose either way: stirring the pot and putting money in his pocket. Tate speaks without filter and with startling apathy for the consequences of his words.

His comments range from overt misogyny, such as claiming that victims of rape “bear some responsibility”, to ridiculing men who drink anything other than sparkling water. According to Brittany Shammas of the Washington Post, fans have dubbed Tate the “king of toxic masculinity”. If any of his content makes people laugh, it is certainly laughing at how ridiculous he sounds rather than laughing with him in agreement or good-natured banter. However, this is still a form of attention, ultimately feeding his ego and online presence just the same.

“I think he says some things to get attention. He didn’t even have a TikTok account and he was still all over it. While I believe that he is very motivational, I do not agree with his misogynistic comments at all,” senior Julio Bonjoch said.

Tate is also the founder of “Hustler University”, a monthly subscription in which members are put through lessons “teaching” them to make money. This program has been described as a pyramid scheme in which members are told to recruit more subscribers for commission, bringing Tate increased success with minimal returns on their investment that Tate stated they could achieve. The same people that look up to Tate as a role model are exploited and corrupted by violent philosophies, particularly towards women.

Tate’s remarks and opinions resulted in a widespread blocking of his social media platforms such as Facebook, Instagram and TikTok. TikTok’s tardiness in removing content that obviously violates the terms of the platform prompted viewers to suggest that they are, in effect, promoting and profiting from the spread of harmful messages.

“I think it was good that he got banned. I think it will give him and his fans time to reflect. I feel like if someone is doing more harm than good on social media, spreading false information or bad ideas that can ultimately harm the public, they shouldn’t have a platform,” senior Carla Nuñez said.

Beyond his removal from social media, Tate found himself in the middle of an investigation for human trafficking, further defacing his presence both online and offline. Suspicion grew when Tate stated that about “40%” of the reason he moved to Romania was because it was easier to evade sexual assault charges. To give him the benefit of the doubt is to argue that this was nothing more than a crude joke, but this kind of message from Tate epitomizes and justifies his online removal.

In a video that Tate released on Aug. 23, 2022, he states that he is “a victim of [his] own success” and describes his plans moving forward, harboring no “ill-will” against any party that has gone against him. He proposes to dedicate all of his social media platforms towards charity and his charitable organization, The Tate Foundation, possibly choosing to walk the straight and narrow.

In the end, Tate got what he wanted, to stand in the spotlight and be the subject of discussion. What he did not foresee was how briefly he would bask in this fame. The future of “Top G” is uncertain, but perhaps the recent events have given him a reality check, allowing him to turn a new leaf.