Controversial brothers Andrew and Tristan Tate are set to return to the UK after being arrested in Romania over allegations of ‘sexual aggression’.
They face extradition as the allegations of rape and sexual assault relate to incidents which took place in Britain around a decade ago.
But especially for older brother Andrew, this is not his first time that he has been the subject of negative publicity.
The former kickboxer first made a big name for himself in the UK as a contestant on Big Brother in 2016, by which point his business running a webcam site with his brother had begun.
Find a full timeline of his life of controversies below.
Controversial brothers Andrew (pictured) and Tristan Tate are set to return to the UK after being arrested in Romania over allegations of ‘sexual aggression’
Tate rose to fame in the UK in the mid-2010s as he appeared on the 17th series of Big Brother
Tate pictured with his brother Tristan, who is two years his junior
December 1, 1986
Emory Andrew Tate III was born in Washington DC, to Emory Tate Jr and his English wife Eileen.
Emory Jr was a sergeant in the US Air Force and chess International Master while Eileen was a catering assistant and the pair raised their children in Chicago, Illinois, until they divorced in 1997.
Tate’s mother moved back to the UK, to Luton, with both Andrew and Tristan – who is two year’s his brother’s junior.
The former martial arts champion has described how the family grew up with very little, labelling his mother his ‘hero’.
2005
Tate started boxing and martial arts training while reportedly also working as a TV producer.
2009
He won the British International Sport Karate Association (ISKA) cruiserweight championship in Derby as ‘King Cobra’.
2011
Two years after his first UK title, he won a first ISKA world title by knocking out Jean-Luc Benoit.
The same year he joined Twitter, now X, under the name @Cobratate.
2012
He founded a self-described ‘webcam pimping’ company with his brother, which he later admitted was a ‘total scam’ in an interview with The Mirror.
The pair of them used women to exploit customers for money by engaging in chat sessions with them where they would tell ‘fake sob stories’ to garner sympathy and, crucially, larger tips.
The younger brother explained that the pair are protected by their Ts & Cs.
‘One is broadcasting is “for entertainment purposes only”‘, he said. ‘That means if a model says she has a sick dog or a sick grandma it doesn’t have to be true.
‘The next is that all cash given to models is “a voluntary sign of gratitude for their time broadcasting”.’
Before entering the Big Brother house in 2016, Tate had a kickboxing career and trained at a club in Luton
The brothers launched a webcam site in 2012 which they went on to call a ‘total scam’
Andrew was kicked off Big Brother after less than a week as footage emerged showing him hitting a woman with a belt
Later, in a statement, both he and the woman in the clip say they are friends and that the actions seen were consensual
2013
Tate won a second ISKA world title after 12-rounds against Vincent Petitjean.
2016
Tate took part in the 17th series of reality TV show Big Brother, but was removed after less than a week follwing the emergence of footage of the fighter hitting his ex-girlfriend with a belt.
Later, in a statement, both he and the woman in the clip say they are friends and that the actions seen were consensual.
2017
Both Tate brothers moved into a heavily-fortified suburban compound in Bucharest, Romania, claiming that the UK has ‘gone downhill’.
Andrew said that the prospect of more easily brought rape charges was ‘probably 40 per cent of the reason’ for leaving the UK, which he went on to call ‘a country where any woman … at any point in the future can destroy your life.’
He added: ‘I’m not a f***ing rapist, but I like the idea of just being able to do what I want. I like being free.
The Times went on to hear this was intended as an attack on litigation culture, with Tate adding: ‘A dying empire adopts laws like a sick man adopts medicine.’
2019
Hertfordshire police investigated allegations of rape made against Andrew Tate but the case was dropped.
2022
Tate was suspended from Twitter as his voice grew louder and more divisive.
He had claimed that depression ‘isn’t real’, and on October 18 said women should ‘bear some responsibility’ for being sexually assaulted as he chimed in on the Harvey Weinstein case.
Nonetheless his fame continued to skyrocket via TikTok, Instagram and YouTube shorts as misogynistic soundbites were shared by accounts not necessarily owned by Tate himself.
April 2022
The brothers’ safehouse was raided in April 2022 after authorities believed two women were being held against their will.
Both were eventually released but the investigation was reported ongoing.
August 2022
Following a campaign to de-platform him, Tate was banned from Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and YouTube as well.
In a ‘final’ video, Tate argued that much of the criticism of him was a result of comments being taken out of context in a way that ‘could make anyone look bad’.
‘I have some responsibility to bear. I still blame myself, because my rise has been so meteoric and I became so famous so quickly,’ he added.
That same month, financial services company Stripe stopped processing subscriptions for Tate’s Hustler’s University – billed as an online ‘academy’ where members pay a monthly fee to learn how to make a passive income online.
October 2022
After a video of Tate praying at a mosque in Dubai with MMA fighter Tam Khan goes viral, he announces he has converted to Islam in a post on Gettr.
November 2022
Tate’s Twitter account was reinstated by its new boss, Elon Musk.
He was joined by other previously banned right-wing figures including Donald Trump, Kanye West and Jordan Peterson.
December 28, 2022
Tate embarked on a heated spat with climate activist Greta Thunberg, boasting about his Bugatti and Ferraris and asking for her email address so he can ‘send a complete list of my car collection and their respective enormous emissions’.
The Swede responded: ‘Yes, please do enlighten me. Email me at smalld***energy@getalife.com.’
A bruised Tate responded by asking: ‘How dare you?!’ He then posted a video of himself in a dressing gown and smoking a cigar accusing the ‘global matrix’ of deploying a ‘bot farm’ to send her tweet viral.
Shortly after being reinstated on Twitter, Tate engaged in a spat with climate activist Greta Thunberg
The tate brothers were arrested in the days after his spat with the Swede, and the pair are awaiting a trial date after being charged with human trafficking, rape and forming a criminal gang to sexually exploit women
December 29, 2022
The next day, Tate and his brother were detained in Romania along with two women for 30 days on suspicion of human trafficking, rape and forming an organised crime group.
Prosecutors cited six women who claimed to have been sexually exploited by the suspects for the purpose of creating internet pornography.
December 30, 2022
Social media rumours circulated suggesting that a pizza box featured in Tate’s video to Ms Thunberg inadvertently revealed his location to authorities.
The activist, seemingly having had the last laugh, tweeted: ‘This is what happens when you don’t recycle your pizza boxes.’
January 3, 2023
Romanian authorities seized Tate’s luxury car collection.
January 10, 2023
Tate appeared in court in the Romanian capital to appeal his detention, carrying a copy of the Quran as he arrived. Judges ruled against him.
March 31, 2023
However, Tate won a subsequent appeal to replace his detention with house arrest after the Bucharest Court of Appeal ruled against a judge’s decision to extend his incarceration by 30 days for a fourth time.
June 20, 2023
Both Tate brothers and the co-accused Romanian women were formally charged with human trafficking, rape and forming a criminal gang to sexually exploit women.
They allegedly tricked seven victims with false declarations of love and transporting them to take part in pornography while controlling them with ‘intimidation, constant surveillance’ and claims they were in debt, the prosecution says.
August 2023
Tate won his appeal against house arrest and told reporters: ‘The truth will be known very soon.’
January 8, 2024
He regained access to his fortune which had been seized, consisting of supercars, designer watches and properties after a court overturned a decision to seize his assets.
Tate being led by police officers at the Court of Appeal in Bucharest, Romania on March 12, 2024
March 12, 2024
Both brothers were arrested again in Romania, over allegations of sexual aggression dating back from 2012 to 2015 and took place within the UK.
The Tates were detained for 24 hours and notified of a European arrest warrant that had been issued by Westminster Magistrates Court.
However, the pair will not be extradited until the trial in Romania – which is yet to have a set date – is over.
Both Andrew and Tristan Tate deny the allegations, with their representatives saying they were ‘fully committed to challenging these accusations with unwavering determination and resolve’.
Eugen Vidineac, one of the lawyers representing the Tate brothers, said: ‘We appreciate the Bucharest Court of Appeal’s decision to postpone the extradition of Andrew and Tristan Tate.
‘This ruling provides an opportunity for the brothers to participate fully in their defence and for the legal process to proceed in a transparent manner.’