Of the many horrifying details in Kyle Clifford’s case, one aspect in particular struck terror into the hearts of parents and teachers across the country.
Just 24 hours before slaughtering his ex-girlfriend Louise Hunt, her mum Carol, and sister Hannah at their Hertfordshire home, the vile 26-year-old killer searched for the podcasts of self-professed misogynist Andrew Tate. The “violent misogyny” espoused by the former kickboxer “fuelled” the vicious attack, prosecutors heard.
Tate, 38, faces multiple allegations of rape, sex trafficking, and abuse, including the trafficking of minors, and faces investigations in the UK, Romania, and most recently the US state of Florida. Tate denies all accusations and has also recently spoken out against the idea that his views influenced evil Clifford, who he branded an “idiot”.
However, many remain concerned about the influence Tate wields online, particularly among young impressionable men. Among his many shocking opinions, the influencer has previously suggested that survivors of rape “bear some responsibility” for their ordeal and has also referred to married women as “property” owned by their husbands.
In one particularly harrowing video, Tate demonstrated to his fans how he would handle a girlfriend accusing him of cheating, declaring: “It’s bang out the machete, boom in her face and grip her by the neck. Shut up b****.”
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Tate responded to claims that his words influenced evil Clifford, telling The Sun: “It’s a clown show. Anyone with a brain knows it’s completely unfair. I’m sure this idiot who did this disgusting act also listened to music. Do you blame the people who he was listening to the songs of? This is f***ing stupid; it’s a clown show.”
As many who know and work with young people will know all too well, Tate is far from a fringe figure. According to new research from Vodafone, more than half of boys aged 11 to 14 (56 per cent) are familiar with influencers associated with the ‘manosphere’ – a network of online communities responsible for creating and promoting content which is often misogynistic in nature.
Out of those polled, 78 per cent had heard about Tate, with 19 per cent admitting to knowing lots about him and 27 per cent viewing him positively. Researchers also heard how 70 per cent of teachers have seen an alarming rise in sexist language in the classroom, with online hate spilling out into the real world.
In a snapshot provided to the Mirror by NSPCC Childline, a 13-year-old girl expressed concern over the views of the boys in her class, which has left her fearing for her future ambitions. She shared: “By now, you have probably heard about Andrew Tate. All the boys in my class talk about him, and they are so influenced by him.
“They started picking on me and some of my friends because we are girls wanting to become things that ‘aren’t for women’. It’s made me feel like I’ll never get into my chosen field, considering people like them will be in the future generation. I hate it so much, but I know I can’t do anything to stop it.”
Another girl, aged just 12, spoke of having “a massive row” with her Andrew Tate fan brother, expressing dismay over his views. She said: “I’ve just had a massive row with my brother. He has been idolising and speaking about this creep Andrew Tate.
“My brother knows that I think this guy is absolutely vile, but nothing I say or do will change his mind. I’ve tried talking to my mum about it, and all she did was tell my brother to stop watching his videos, which of course he ignored. I don’t think my family realise how damaging Tate is to society, and I can’t believe people like my brother look up to him.”
Meanwhile, for boys looking to find their place in the world as they grow up, Andrew Tate has emerged as a source of guidance. One boy, age unknown, told Childline: “I feel like my mental health is going downhill recently. I’ve tried various things like CAMHS, medication and self-help stuff, but nothing seems to work.
“Sometimes, I feel embarrassed to talk about this stuff, and I should just be able to ‘tough it out’ myself. That’s what Andrew Tate says in his videos. Like, I know his views are problematic, but I kinda agree with him.”
Meanwhile, parents doing their best to raise the next generation have found themselves at a loss of what to do as they listen to their children using “radicalised” language. Reaching out to the NSPCC Helpline for guidance, one parent explained: “I’m calling about my 17-year-old son. I’ve noticed his behaviour has been changing lately; he seems to have a strong dislike towards women. Like, he often refers to girls as ‘b******’ and that men are basically the superior sex.
“He spends all his time on his phone, like any teenager, and I’m worried he is being radicalised from what he’s viewing online. I can’t be sure what sites he’s looking at, but he’s mentioned this Andrew Tate, who I’ve seen has millions of followers. This is not the kind of person I want my son looking up to. I’ve not spoken to anyone else about this, and I don’t wish to involve any agencies at this point – I suppose I’m just looking for some advice.”
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Rani Govender, Policy Manager at the NSPCC, told the Mirror: “The growing influence of misogynistic content creators like Andrew Tate represents a serious threat to young people’s safety and wellbeing. Even when not actively searching for such content, platform algorithms continue to recommend and amplify these harmful views, particularly to boys, shaping their attitudes and directly translating to harmful behaviours toward girls.
“This represents a clear failure of tech companies to prioritise user safety over engagement metrics. Despite having the technological capabilities to identify and limit the spread of harmful content, many platforms continue allowing accounts that promote misogynistic hate to reach millions of followers, including vulnerable young users.
“The inaction of companies to combat misogynistic abuse highlights the need for these services to be held accountable for the safety of all children on their sites, with the regulator Ofcom taking swift enforcement action where they continue to fuel serious harm.”
Spotify recently removed several of Tate’s podcasts amid mounting public pressure, with a Change.org petition clocking up more than 106,000 signatures and counting. However, at the time of writing, a number of episodes remain up, including’ How to get Girls FAST AND EASY’ – part of Tate’s ‘Pimping Hoes Degree’ (PHD) course, which has been reshared by fans unlikely to stop listening anytime soon.
Controlling and manipulating women is a recurring theme in Tate’s content. In one episode, Tate tells listeners that men must “build” a woman to become their perfect ideal, urging: “A woman who is understanding and kind and respects you does not exist unless you force her to be that way.”
In a petition update, starters Renee Chopping & Collective Shout celebrated the content being removed, while remarking there was still a long way to go. They said: “Most of the original courses we flagged have now been removed from Spotify! This is a direct result of your relentless pressure—every petition signature, report, email, and social media post helped make this happen. Spotify is listening, and they are moving behind the scenes.
“But we’re not done yet. Tate’s ‘Pimping Hoes Degree’ (PHD) course is still on Spotify, uploaded by different users. This material normalises violence against women, coercive control, and dating abuse. This is not harmless content—it is grooming young men into a mindset that devalues and exploits women and girls. So we’re keeping the pressure on.”
This comes as four British women are suing Tate after he allegedly choked them until blood vessels burst in their eyes. These women, who have made claims of rape, coercive control, and choking in the High Court, claim they were victims of sexual violence by Tate between the years 2013 and 2016 – before he rose to fame – and have called for him to be banned from social media platforms. Tate has denied the claims.
After it emerged Clifford was a fan of Tate, the women issued the following statement, through McCue Jury & Partners: “Hearing that Kyle Clifford watched videos of Andrew Tate in the lead up to his murders of his ex-girlfriend, her mother and sister, is deeply upsetting to us, but sadly not surprising.
“This should be a wake-up call for all the social media companies who are continuing to platform Tate and his dangerous messages. These companies should take immediate steps to remove Andrew Tate from their platforms, rather than continue to reap enormous profits from his hateful content.
“Clifford’s case should be a warning to world leaders and all those who belittle the seriousness of allowing incitement of violence against women online fester. Our thoughts are with the Hunt family.”
Spotify did not wish to provide an official comment.
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