This led to thousands of videos of Andrew’s worrying statements being shared across social media, particularly TikTok. Hustlers University was shut down in August 2022. Andrew was also banned from TikTok, Instagram and Facebook.
November 2022: Andrew Tate is back on Twitter
Andrew Tate returned to Twitter in late 2022, following Elon Musk’s takeover of the platform, and has been regularly tweeting since then.
December 2022: Andrew Tate takes on Greta Thunberg, and is subsequently arrested
Andrew turned his attention to climate activist Greta Thunberg on 27 December 2022, tweeting a picture of one of his cars and the message: “Hello @GretaThunberg… I have 33 cars. My Bugatti has a w16 8.0L quad turbo. My TWO Ferrari 812 competizione have 6.5L v12s. This is just the start. Please provide your email address so I can send a complete list of my car collection and their respective enormous emissions.”
Greta succinctly replied: “Yes, please do enlighten me. Email me at smalldickenergy@getalife.com.” It has become one of the most-liked tweets of all time.
Andrew responded with a video directed at Greta, in which he smokes a cigar and rants before being handed some takeaway pizza boxes. Not long afterwards, he was arrested following a police raid on his home, with many theorising that the Romanian pizza restaurant had given away Andrew’s location to the authorities (this has since been denied).
It made for yet another cutting response from Greta, however: “This is what happens when you don’t recycle your pizza boxes.”
Andrew and his brother are detained in Romania on suspicion of human trafficking, rape and forming an organised crime group.
January 2023: Andrew Tate appeals his detention in jail
On 10 January 2023, a Romanian court upheld the 30-day arrest of Andrew Tate, his brother Tristan and two Romanian women who were also arrested on the same charges. According to Sky News, a document explaining the judge’s decision said “the possibility of them evading investigations cannot be ignored” and they could “leave Romania and settle in countries that do not allow extradition”. Andrew attended the court hearing, arriving handcuffed to his brother Tristan.
The brothers were investigated by DIICOT, Romania’s anti-organised crime agency. The agency said victims were lured under the pretence of a romantic relationship, then through physical violence and mental intimidation, forced to perform pornographic acts for social media sites which generated large financial gains.
They deny all allegations. Per The Independent, the brothers’ lawyer, Eugen Vidineac, told Romanian online newspaper Gandul: “There is not a single piece of evidence apart from the victim’s statement that leads to the idea that a crime of rape was committed.”
Of human trafficking offences, he added: “In my view, there is no evidence there either, and I’m talking about evidence leading, by itself or directly, to the formation of an opinion of reasonable suspicion regarding the commission of offences provided for and punishable by criminal law.”
Speaking of Andrew’s social media presence, he said: “In the case of the Tate brothers, I don’t know what their intent was in promoting themselves on social media, but I sit here and wonder, can that intent from the social media stand as evidence in a criminal prosecution case, with respect to a criminal character?”
March 2023: Andrew Tate wins appeal to go on house arrest
On 31 March, it was confirmed that Andrew had won an appeal to end his detention in jail and be held on house arrest.
June 2023: Andrew Tate is charged
On 20 June, Andrew Tate was formally charged with rape, human trafficking and forming an organised crime group to sexually exploit women.
