Radio presenter and TV personality Abbie Chatfield has revealed that she has been receiving abusive direct messages from boys who support Andrew Tate.
Chatfield, who regularly discusses women’s issues and feminism on her podcast, It’s A Lot with Abbie Chatfield, says she has been trying to “ignore” the media spectacle around Tate but his online presence and reach is getting “too big”.
Tate, a former kickboxer and Big Brother contestant, has become extremely popular on social media for his controversial opinions.
His views on women have been called out as misogynistic. In one video in which he is seen discussing feminism, Tate said women should “shut the f**k up, have kids, sit at home, be quiet and make coffee”.
Last week, White Ribbon, a charity which works to end male violence against women, asked TikTok to remove the influencer from the platform because his comments could have “concerning” long-term effects on a younger audience.
In an appearance on Australian talk show The Project, Chatfield said she had firsthand experience of how Tate’s views are influencing young boys.
“I’m getting DMs [direct messages] from what appears to be early teen boys, saying ‘I hope Andrew Tate destroys you’.
“I also get comments calling me Abby Tate, comments on TikTok especially. That’s where it’s really rife.”
In a statement to The Independent in response to Chatfield’s comments, Tate said: “Everyone is entitled to an opinion and open discourse is very important for society to find the truth.
“I receive 10,000 hateful messages a day from her fans also. She has caused me more hate than I’ve ever caused her.
“Truthfully I wish nobody received any hateful messages at all and we could discuss issues openly without fear. I wish her the best in all aspects of her life!”
The Independent has contacted TikTok and Chatfield for further comment.
Chatfield added that she had tried to ignore Tate’s content online content because she didn’t want to give him more influence.
“I do feel like I really want to ignore him, I want to try and suffocate him of any oxygen in media. The more I engage with his content, even to research for a radio segment... That feeds the algorithm, and it spreads out to my followers.
“It is getting a bit too big to ignore now. But I do fear that if I speak about it to my followers or my listeners, it doesn’t really achieve anything.
“I’m sure those who are my listeners already feel this way, they agree that yes, he’s disgusting, he’s awful.”
In an earlier statement to MailOnline, a spokesperson for TikTok said: “Misogyny and other hateful ideologies and behaviours are not tolerated on TikTok, and we are working to review this content and take action against violations of our guidelines.
“We continually look to strengthen our policies and enforcement strategies, including adding more safeguards to our recommendation system, as part of our work to keep TikTok a safe and inclusive space for our community.”
