Andrew Tate: Who Is The Controversial TikTok Star Famous For Misogynistic Videos?

It is currently impossible to scroll through a social media feed today and not come across the name, Andrew Tate, at least once.

The ex-kickboxer and reality TV star, who was booted off "Big Brother," is now the hot topic in every corner of the internet. His rise to internet stardom shows how a man preaching misogyny will always have an audience.

Tate has 4.6 million followers on Instagram and 744,000 subscribers on YouTube that listen to his extreme statements, which often go viral.

The 35-year-old has previously compared women to property, said they should not drive, and has also described how he would punish a woman for accusing him of cheating, according to Rolling Stone.

Posting on Twitter in 2017 about how women should "bear some responsibility" for being raped, Tate wrote: "If you go out. Meet a guy. Take his drinks all night. Go to his apartment drunk. Start to kiss him. Then he grabs your tits. Not harassment. If I left a million dollars outside my front door – when it got stolen people would say. 'Why was it there? Irresponsible.' Take some personal responsibility. This zero blame game is damaging to the female cause as a whole. Protect yourselves."

Tate has also said women aged 18 and 19 are more attractive than women in their mid-20s because they have "been through less d**k" and that it is easier to "imprint" on them.

If a woman accused him of cheating, Tate said, "it's bang out the machete, boom in her face and grip her by the neck," as quoted by GQ.

Videos of the man, who claims to be a self-help guru, have garnered 11.6 billion views on TikTok. His name had more Google searches than Donald Trump and Kim Kardashian in the month of July.

Tate's rise to fame is not only attributed to angry young men seeking validation from a hyper-masculine figure, but also to other content creators that invite him to their shows and offer him a platform to share his damaging views.

Despite some creators inviting him for a debate or to oppose his views, it is believed that giving him a mic in the first place is part of the reason his fame snowballed.

Tate himself has acknowledged how the internet can promise great fame to scandalous figures.

"All I have to do is go on the internet and say something obvious like women can't drive [...] And they have a mental breakdown, and they'll do a twelve-part video series trying to disprove me, while I don't even watch the videos!" he brazenly said in one clip.

Tate called himself a "success coach" who is playing an "online character," as per a statement reported by NBC News. He also claimed he has created "many videos praising women."

Tate said his intention is to show men how "to avoid toxic people as a whole."

In light of calls asking for Tate to be taken off social media platforms, TikTok released a statement earlier about the issue, according to The Guardian.

"Misogyny and other hateful ideologies and behaviors are not tolerated on TikTok, and we are working to review this content and take action against violations of our guidelines," a spokesperson said. "We continually look to strengthen our policies and enforcement strategies, including adding more safeguards to our recommendation system."