- Influencer Andrew Tate filmed a "final message" to fans, posted on Vimeo on August 23.
- Tate said he thinks he could have become a "champion for women" if he was not banned from Instagram.
Controversial influencer Andrew Tate posted what was labeled a "final message" on August 23, saying he thinks he could have become a "champion for women's rights" after being banned by four social media platforms for misogynistic content.
Tate, a kickboxer turned influencer, has gained millions of followers on social media and gained popularity among men's rights activists and far-right influencers after making controversial and violent comments about women.
In the past week, social media companies Meta (which owns Facebook and Instagram), TikTok, and YouTube all banned Tate after several articles exposed his controversial remarks, each citing violations of their community guidelines and content policies, including hate speech and misogynistic comments.
A Vimeo account with the username @FreeTopG posted the hour-and-13-minute video titled "Andrew Tates Final Message." The account has existed since 2011, but Tate's video is currently the only one on its channel.
In the video, Tate addressed his ban from Meta, saying he is "very understanding" and "not mad" about the platform's decision, but also he said he feels the ban "doesn't allow me to shift the public consciousness in a constructive manner."
Tate said he thought the platform should have issued a warning to him instead, adding that he does not believe his Instagram posts or captions violated the platform's guidelines.
from on Vimeo.
"I think it would have been better for them to say, 'Andrew, some things have been taken out of context. You need to be careful that doesn't happen. A lot of people listen to you,' and I could have become a champion for women's rights," he said.
He also said he believes in "protecting women" and "championing women," and believes that "a man has certain roles in society, and a woman has certain roles in society."
"I think that these views are not very controversial at all. I think they were mainstream only a few years ago," Tate said, adding that many of his comments have been "taken out of context" to make him "look bad."
Tate said he wants to continue to "speak for men," saying there are "no other male role models" on the internet besides him and citing his "enormous wealth" as a reason why young men look up to him.
"Me being alive on the internet will allow me to lead men in a very positive direction. Banning me and deleting me leaves a black hole," he said, adding, "it's me or nobody."
Tate said he hopes that Instagram will eventually lift his ban so he can continue to post content but ultimately said, "I will proceed as God sees fit. If God believes I do not need an Instagram page, then I will not have one."
Tate did not address his bans from TikTok or YouTube in the video.
It's unclear how effective the bans will be as a lot of the content that features Tate's rhetoric and goes viral isn't from his own accounts. As Insider's Kieran Press-Reynolds reported, a number of fan accounts posting videos of Tate are still operating on TikTok, and clips of him are easily searchable.
The Observer found evidence that Tate's followers were told to post videos of Tate on social media and encouraged to choose controversial clips in order to get views and engagement. On a recent podcast with Barstool Sports' Dave Portnoy, Tate said he changed his approach to social media earlier this year and "ended up absolutely everywhere."
Tate has a long history of controversial comments, first making headlines when he was kicked off of the 2016 season of the British reality show "Big Brother" after a video surfaced showing him striking a woman with a belt. Tate said the video was part of a consensual roleplay.
In various videos, he's discussed hitting women, claimed he needs authority over women, and asserted that men and women are not equal. He also said on Twitter that he believes rape victims must "bear some responsibility" for putting themselves "in a position to be raped." His account has since been suspended.
Tate did not respond to Insider's request for comment.
For more stories like this, check out coverage from Insider's Digital Culture team here.