To Andrew Tate's conservative fans: Shame on you
Shock-jock pornographer and self-proclaimed misogynist, Andrew Tate, has gone viral again. Currently under investigation by Romanian and UK law enforcement, Andrew and his brother, Tristan Tate, are accused of human trafficking, rape, and money laundering.
The Tate brothers are perhaps most infamous for their sketchy entrepreneurial ventures, including Hustler University and The Real World. Their most recent stunt is The War Room, a secretive online network where the Tate brothers offer participants a “Pimpin’ Hoes Degree” (PhD), allegedly teaching them how to groom women into sex work. According to the BBC, members are instructed on how to “romantically seduce, emotionally manipulate and socially isolate women before luring them into performing on webcams — often taking all or most of the money they make.”
Despite Andrew Tate’s seedy reputation, conservative YouTuber Benny Johnson recently promoted him on his show. During an interview, Johnson fawned over Tate as they discussed the weaponization of the legal system against President Donald Trump. Joining them was Trump’s attorney and incoming counselor Attorney Alina Habba, who told Tate, “I’m a big fan!”
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The interview seemed to be a ham-fisted attempt to associate Tate with Trump, possibly laying the groundwork for Tate’s own legal defense, which will likely include claims of government persecution.
Thousands of people reacted in outrage to the interview. Babylon Bee editor Joel Berry wrote to Johnson, “You’re allowed to platform who you want. It’s a free country. And I’m allowed to think a conservative Christian husband and father has no business promoting an Islamic pornographer and serial abuser of underage girls.”
Talk radio host John Cardillo wrote, “Andrew Tate has probably posted over 100 videos in which he glorifies beating women into submission and exploiting them for sex. The next Counselor to POTUS is swooning over him telling him she’s a fan. This is f***ing embarrassing for America.”
Shortly after the interview, Tate announced that he is running for Prime Minister of England. In a video, Tate claims, “The UK has been hijacked by Satanists.” He also claims to be “the only hope and chance for the once Great Britain,” saying, “I am extremely rich, and very successful, and although this has not brought me much happiness or any new friends, it has certainly increased the variety and capability of my enemies.”
Meanwhile, on X, Tate publicly threatened to sue several alleged abuse victims, posting, “You have accused me of grooming when I have not been convicted of any crime. In fact [sic] my case was dropped due to lack of evidence. I have been found innocent. I will see you in court. I hope you have money for legal fees.” To another he posted, “Nobody feels sorry for you. You attacked us first. See you in court.”
In an even stranger twist, Tate has taken to repeatedly posting about a 10-year-old girl whose photo he found on X. Tate called the child ugly and recorded a video of himself insulting her as he lounged in a jacuzzi.
But who are Andrew and Tristan Tate and why are they the way that they are? A lot of it tracks back to their dysfunctional childhood and narcissistic chess-master dad.
Andrew and Tristan's father, Emory Tate, was an eccentric and frequently absent parent who his kids describe as an authoritarian and violent disciplinarian. In interviews, Andrew describes getting “smacked” if he made a “mistake.” Nevertheless, Andrew views his dad positively as an almost mythical role model.
Andrew told the Daily Mail, “He was authoritarian, but that’s not a bad thing. A lot of negative spin is put on authoritarian, upright upbringings. But it’s a very good thing having a father who is very, very serious about discipline and respect ... Did I get hit if I made a mistake? Yes, of course. I don’t think there’s anything wrong with that. For most of human history, children were hit when they made mistakes ... I’m not saying ‘beat children.’ Don’t hit a kid for no reason. But if a child makes a serious error, for there to be absolutely zero physical repercussion is wrong.
“Every single thing around us was built on the back of children getting hit when they made a mistake. We built the pyramids. We went to the moon. We built all of civilized society. The real world does the same thing. If you make too big a mistake, if you are too loud and too obnoxious, you’re too disrespectful, you’re going to get hit. So, I don’t think there’s anything wrong with a child learning that lesson early — that there are authoritative figures in your life. The bottom line of punishments always comes back to violence.”
Originally from Chicago, Emory Tate married an English woman named Eileen in 1985. They had three children; Andrew, Tristan, and a sister.
Emory was fluent in several languages including Spanish and Russian, and served as an intelligence expert in the United States Air Force translating messages and secretly recorded conversations. He was an avid chess player, winning the U.S. Armed Forces Chess Championship five times.
However, Emory was also known for telling tall tales and being neurotic and obsessive. Once, he claimed that spies tried to assassinate him by electrocution on an escalator. It's a story family members say might be partly true but is probably made up or embellished. After being diagnosed with Narcissistic Personality Disorder, Emory was discharged from the military.
Emory was frequently absent from his kid's lives for long periods of time. When he was home, he ruled his boys with an iron fist. Besides physical violence, he also used sleep deprivation as a form of discipline.
When Andrew was only 7 years old, he lost a chess tournament. This angered his father. As punishment, Emory forced Andrew to play chess every night for over a week, only allowing him to sleep for a few hours each day.
Andrew recalled, “For the next week and a half he kept me up to three, four in the morning playing grandmaster chess puzzles from a book. I’d sleep two hours, get up, go to school. My mum would go crazy: ‘Let him sleep, Emory!’ And he’d say, ‘Quiet, woman! Chess, chess, chess, chess.’ I’d be sitting there trying to keep my eyes open, trying to complete the chess puzzle. And after day five, I finally worked one out and he said, ‘See, you’re tired, but you did it.'’” Andrew concluded, “You have to perform.”
Andrew further explained, “Being a fantastic man isn’t about being happy ... Being happy as a man really is not so important. I was never raised to be happy.”
When Andrew was 11 and Tristan was 9, their parents divorced. Eileen took the kids to England to be near her family, but Emory stayed behind in the US to play chess as an obsessive, eccentric deadbeat who ended up living in his car. In 2015, he died of a heart attack during a chess match.
Now Andrew and Tristan Tate teach other insecure men how to be “masculine” based on the dysfunctional blueprint of their broken father.
This is a tragic story. However, it does not excuse Andrew or Tristan's behavior. They are grown men. They know right from wrong. They could choose to break the cycle of abuse and strive to become better. They could get out of their dad's shadow and do something honorable with their lives. Instead, they have dedicated their energy, time, and talents to spreading the pain, increasing the dysfunction, and drawing thousands of others into the cycle of anger and misery that they themselves are caught in.
Jennifer Michelle Greenberg has risen to become one of the foremost voices against child abuse in the church. She writes for Christianity Today, The Gospel Coalition, and the Evangelical Council for Abuse Prevention.
Jennifer also develops resources for Christian leaders and counselors to help them identify abusers, respond responsibly to crisis situations, and minister to abuse victims and survivors in a wise and loving manner.
Besides her theological and ministerial work, Jennifer enjoys writing adult fantasy and science fiction novels, singing, and composing music. She and her husband, Jason, live in Texas with their three young children.
