Alleged rapist Andrew Tate has rejected references to him in the hit Netflix series Adolescence, branding the show’s discussion of his influence on young men as “unjust.”
The influencer, who is charged with rape and other serious offenses in Romania, which he denies, said that the show’s depiction of Tate as a radicalizing figure in online male spaces was “neither fair nor accurate.”
Why It Matters
Andrew Tate has become a symbol of the “Manosphere,” an online community that is critical of modern feminism and promotes theories that blame women for men being unable to find romantic or sexual partners.
Both Tate and the Manosphere are mentioned explicitly in Adolescence, which is a British crime drama television miniseries that focuses on 13-year-old boy Jamie who is radicalized by online communities, bullied by his classmates for being an “incel,” and who kills a young girl in his school as a result.
What To Know
Themes of misogyny, incel culture, and the online radicalization of young men all feature heavily in Adolescence’s four-episode run, with Tate being explicitly highlighted as an example of an influencer fueling that radicalization.
In the second episode of the show, when a police officer investigates the potential motives behind Jamie’s murder of a female classmate, a female colleague explains: “It’s the involuntary celibate stuff. It’s the Andrew Tate shite.”
The show also explores the red pill, a metaphor borrowed from The Matrix to symbolize waking up to the true nature of how men and women interact, as well as the 80-20 rule, which posits that 80 percent of women will only ever be attracted to the top 20 percent of men.
Both of these concepts are mainstays of the Manosphere, and the show’s writer, Jack Thorne, has been clear about the show’s inspiration, saying in a radio interview that Jamie had been “indoctrinated by voices” like Tate, as well as “voices a lot more dangerous than Andrew Tate’s.”
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In a statement given to Newsweek, Tate rejected his association with radicalization. A spokesperson for the influencer said: “The reference to Andrew Tate in Adolescence is an attempt to pin broader societal issues on one individual, which is neither fair nor accurate.
“Whilst online influence is a valid topic, it’s unjust for the public to make him the scapegoat for complex problems like radicalization and violence, which stem from far wider cultural and systemic factors.”
However, the show does explore the wider context of Jamie’s behavior, especially the theme of parental responsibility, highlighting a breakdown in communication with the boy, who continually shuts himself away in his room with his computer.
The show also portrays the context of his school community, where teachers seem unable or disinclined to control their pupils.
Nevertheless, Tate is an all-too frequent presence in online discussions about young men. Diary of a CEO podcast host Steve Bartlett recently criticized the Manosphere for failing to provide good role models for men, and held up Tate as the worst example.
“We need another model of what a man is—succeeding in whatever metric that men want to succeed, but in a way where they’re being productive and healthy in society, Bartlett said.
Andrew Tate, a dual U.S.-British citizen, was arrested in late 2022 and formally indicted last year in Romania on sex-trafficking charges and rape. He denies the allegations. Tate has continued to insist he has broken no laws and pointed out that he has never been tried, let alone convicted, of any crime. He also faces sexual assault accusations in the U.K, which he also denies.
Tate and his brother Tristan are currently staying in Florida, pending further legal developments in Romania.
What People Are Saying
Actor Stephen Graham, who coproduced the show and also stars as Jamie’s dad, said in an interview about the show’s knife-crime inspiration: “I just thought, what’s going on in society where this kind of thing is becoming a regular occurrence? I just couldn’t fathom it. So I wanted to really have a look and try and shine a light on this particular thing.”
What Happens Next
Adolescence continues to be one of the best-performing shows on Netflix this year, ranking number 1 on their top 10 global shows list this week.