No, viral video doesn’t show Andrew Tate telling Tucker Carlson he was freed from Romanian custody in December

Self-proclaimed misogynist and former kickboxer Andrew Tate was detained in Romania on Dec. 29 on charges of human trafficking, rape and forming an organized crime group. His brother, Tristan, and two others were also detained and were ordered held for 24 hours.

Tate, an online influencer, is known most recently for feuding on Twitter with activist Greta Thunberg. He has been banned from most social media platforms for violating hate speech policies, but was allowed back on Twitter when Elon Musk took over the site.

After the news of his detainment in Romania, a clip from an interview went viral between Tate and Fox News/Fox Nation host Tucker Carlson. In the interview, Carlson asks Tate about Romanian authorities arresting him for human trafficking. Tate responds by saying he was not arrested or charged. 

THE QUESTION

Does this video show Andrew Tate talking about being released from Romanian custody in December?

THE SOURCES

• Original Fox Nation interview from Aug. 24, 2022
• Directorate for Investigating Organised Crime and Terrorism (DIICOT)

THE ANSWER

No, the video is from August. In the interview, Tate talks about a different incident that happened months before his December detainment. 

WHAT WE FOUND

The video clip being shared doesn’t show Andrew Tate following his release from Romanian custody in December, like some social media users claim. The video is from an August interview, and refers to another incident that happened earlier this year. 

Tate joined Tucker Carlson on the Fox Nation show “Tucker Carlson Today” for the interview on Aug. 24, 2022, to talk about how he was banned from almost every major social media network. He told Carlson he was banned because he is “misogynistic” and promoted pro-men content that offended women, which is why he thinks he was “canceled.” 

He spoke on the topic for the first 10 minutes of the roughly 40-minute show, before Carlson asked him about claims he was arrested in Bucharest, Romania, where he has been living for the last five years. The interview was posted on the Fox Nation website and requires a subscription to watch. Tucker Carlson promoted the interview on his Twitter account on Aug. 24. 

During the August interview, Carlson asks Tate if he was actually arrested for human trafficking. 

Tate responds by saying he wasn’t arrested, but was actually a victim of “swatting.” Swatting occurs when someone tips off or places a prank call to the police – typically a SWAT team – in an attempt to dispatch police officers to a home where a crime has not occurred. 

Tate said somebody made a phone call to the American embassy, saying he was holding women hostage, prompting the police to arrive.

“They turned up. They investigated. They realized that nobody was in the house against their will. There was no crime committed. They said, ‘OK, you’re not a suspect, but you are a witness to this.’ Along with me, my brother, the housekeeper, the gardener, everyone who was on the premises at the time was labeled a ‘witness.’ We had to go to the police station for 45 minutes for pieces of paper. We filled them in and we were let go. I was swatted. Nobody was hurt. There’s no human trafficking,” Tate told Carlson.

Because the topics are the same – Tate’s detainment and alleged charges – the video is being confused with comments about news of Tate’s arrest in Romania on Dec. 29. 

What Carlson was actually talking about was an incident involving Tate that happened on April 12, 2022. According to Romanian media reports, Romania’s Directorate for Investigating Organised Crime and Terrorism (DIICOT) was sent to Tate’s home on allegations he kidnapped two women with intentions to traffic them. 

On April 12, DIICOT issued a press release that corroborated reports of what Tate told Tucker in August – that the home was raided and that police “heard several witnesses during the night of April 12, 2022, in order to clarify the factual situation.”

Currently, there is no evidence Tate has been released from Romanian custody following his December detainment. DIICOT and Romanian police have not officially announced Tate’s release from custody. The organizations also did not return VERIFY’s request for comment at the time of publication. 

A tweet did appear on Tate’s Twitter account on Dec. 30 that said only: “The Matrix sent their agents.” Tate has been known for spreading conspiracy theories, including one that we are all living in a simulated reality, like what is suggested in “The Matrix” films. 

A spokesperson representing Tate and his brother told British tabloid The Daily Mirror: “We cannot provide any details at the moment regarding alleged reports that they have been detained; however, Andrew and Tristan Tate have the utmost respect for the Romanian authorities and will always assist and help in any way they can.”