Andrew Tate timeline: From reality TV star to court, and now US?

Andrew Tate and his brother Tristan have left Romania on a private jet and are heading to the United States, pending a criminal investigation. Self-styled misogynist Andrew Tate had previously been held alongside his brother on charges including rape, trafficking and money laundering.

Both men have always denied the charges. The brothers were arrested in Romania three years ago and had been banned from leaving the country until this travel ban was lifted. The two remain under investigation and are set to return to Romania by the end of March, having previously said they want to clear their names in court.

Here is the story so far. Both Tates are the British-American sons of the late US chess player Emory Tate. They were born in Chicago but grew up in Luton. Andrew Tate worked as a TV producer while training as a kickboxer, before going on to fight professionally, but came into the public spotlight when he appeared on Big Brother in 2016.

Since then, Tate has gained notoriety for making offensive, misogynistic comments on social media. But he has gained a following of, largely, young men who subscribe to his preaching about abundance, male pride and an affluent lifestyle. Romanian police confirm retrospectively that the Tate brothers have been under investigation since April 2022.

Around this time, Andrew Tate begins to be banned from many social media platforms for misogynistic comments and hate speech. Having been banned from several social media platforms, Andrew Tate is undeterred and continues posting where he is allowed to. He says in October that he is now a Muslim and is allowed back on Twitter/X by the platform’s new owner, Elon Musk.

He uses his new-found freedom on social media to try to goad environmentalist Greta Thunberg by bragging about his car collection. She responds by telling him to get a life, prompting Tate to post a now infamous video where he smokes a cigar and orders an aid to bring him pizza.

Andrew and Tristan Tate are detained in Romania on suspicion of human trafficking, rape and forming an organised crime group. Police film a raid on the Bucharest house where they are living and make it public. “The four suspects ... appear to have created an organised crime group with the purpose of recruiting, housing and exploiting women by forcing them to create pornographic content meant to be seen on specialised websites for a cost,” prosecutors said.

The internet speculates that their location was given away by the video Andrew Tate sent to Greta Thunberg, which shows that he ordered a specific brand of pizza. Another win for Ms Thunberg is when Tate’s collection of cars is then detained by Romanian police.

In March 2023, the Tates win an appeal and leave prison but remain under house arrest. Andrew and Tristan Tate are charged with rape, human trafficking and forming a criminal gang to sexually exploit women. Two other women are also charged over claims they tricked seven alleged victims with false declarations of love and coerced them into working in pornography.

The brothers have denied all the allegations. A spokesperson for Andrew Tate said: “We embrace the opportunity it presents to demonstrate their innocence.”. Andrew Tate was also been charged with raping one of the victims, while Tristan was charged with instigating others to violence.

They were put under house arrest pending a criminal investigation for abuses committed against the seven women. The Tates win an appeal against their house arrest and later are allowed to get their cars back. Those allegations, which the two brothers “unequivocally deny”, date back to 2012-2015.

It means the Tates will be extradited to the UK once the Romanian proceedings are completed. Both Tates deny these allegations. Donald Trump is elected the president of the United States in November. Andrew Tate supported the Republican’s campaign and benefitted from right-wing support online.