Controversial online influencer Andrew Tate has been banned from Meta platforms Instagram and Facebook.
The former kickboxer and reality TV star was removed for violating Meta policies “on dangerous organizations and individuals”.
The kick-boxer rose to fame in 2016 after appearing on reality TV show Big Brother. He was removed from the programme after a video surfaced online which appeared to show him attacking a woman with a belt.
Tate fired back and said that the video had been edited.
Since then, he has gained further notoriety online for his outrageous and offensive comments, including some in which he suggested women “bear some responsibility” for being assaulted.
He has risen to massive prominence in recent months, particularly on Instagram and Tik Tok through short videos shared by fans. He had around 4.7million followers on Instagram when his account was banned today by Meta, who also oversee Facebook which banned him simultaneously.
The multi-millionaire also runs an online pyramid scheme called Hustlers University, which claims to teach people how to make money.
In a statement to the Guardian, Tate characterised many of his videos as parody, stating he was “playing a comedic character”.
“Internet sensationalism has purported the idea that I’m anti women when nothing could be further from the truth,” he said, adding that he has donated to charities benefitting women. “I am genuinely innocent.”
