Piers Morgan has been furiously slammed by fans after interviewing misogynist Andrew Tate in a controversial chat.
The TalkTV host, 58, has been forced to defend himself after it was announced that he flew to Romania to interview the self-confessed misogynist and controversial social media influencer. Tate, 36, is currently awaiting trial in his home country of Romania on charges of rape and human trafficking.
Tate, who has amassed a staggering following and fanbase despite his controversial views on women, and his brother Trisan had been under house arrest in Bucharest for six months, with Piers flying to the Romanian city to hear his side of the story.
Before sitting down with Piers, Tate was interviewed by the BBC back in June - a move which also infuriated BBC viewers at the time. Tate was arrested in December 2022 on allegations of rape, human trafficking and organised crime. In September, four British women were set to sue the former kickboxer in London’s High Court. The four women alleged that Tate had raped and coercively controlled them. However, he vehemently denied the allegations and threatened to sue the four women for defamation.
During their time behind bars the Tate brothers stayed active on social media, and have since been doing the rounds on podcasts being interviewed about their experiences. They have invited the BBC, Valuetainment and more to their home to discuss the last nine months months, and have continued to post to their millions of followers on Twitter and Rumble.
John Terry takes swipe at Piers Morgan after Arsenal fan issued Chelsea reminderPiers' decision to give a platform to Tate and his brother Tristan has sparked widespread anger online, with hundreds of social media users slamming the TalkTV host. Dr Charlotte Proudman, a barrister and gender equality activist, fumed: “Just heard Piers Morgan is apparently on a flight back from Romania after interviewing Andrew Tate, a self-proclaimed misogynist. Who on earth would give a platform to a man awaiting trial for rape & sexual trafficking? Who cares what he has to say. Let’s hear survivor’s voices.”
Another X user shared: "So deeply disappointed with Piers Morgan. Of all the people in the world he could interview right now, he chose one of the most dangerous and awful men on the planet. There's no justifying this."
Someone else agreed: "Why would they be given air time? That’s literally half the problem of their misogyny being spread. Check yourself Piers because it seems to be like this is a supportive move towards a vile man who does not deserve for his side of the story to be told."
In response to the immense backlash, Piers said in a Talk TV segment that he had 'taken Tate on' around the issue of toxic masculinity before admitting that the social media star 'isn't as clever' as he seems. "He's not as smart as he thinks but he's a clever guy. With characters like this - the more light you shine on them, the better," Piers argued.
If you've been the victim of sexual assault, you can access help and resources via www.rapecrisis.org.uk or calling the national telephone helpline on 0808 802 9999