Clown World

Four Years inside Andrew Tate's Manosphere

By: Jamie Tahsin, Matt Shea

Narrated by: Jamie Tahsin, Matt Shea

'This gripping book is destined to become THE book about Andrew Tate' Jon Ronson

'A fascinating and disturbing investigation' Ian Hislop

The behind-the-scenes story of a four-year investigation into Andrew Tate, exploring how a failed reality TV star turned accused organised criminal managed to become one of the most famous influencers in the world.

In 2022, Andrew Tate went from a little-known kickboxer and failed reality TV star to a lifestyle icon for legions of men and boys, and a figure that would define a new era of misogyny. Tate started the year as a fringe internet celebrity, but by August he was the most googled man in the world. In that same month, Matt Shea and Jamie Tahsin gained access to his Bucharest compound and infamous War Room, making a documentary that would result in the first women coming forward to accuse him publicly of sexual and physical violence. Tate would end the year in a Romanian jail, facing charges of human trafficking, rape and being part of an organised crime group. But the investigations wouldn't stop there.

Part Gonzo journalism, part masculinity rabbit hole, this book takes you on Shea and Tahsin's journey to reveal the dark secrets of Andrew Tate, the machine that brought him here, and the ideology he has unleashed on a generation of young men.

'A sobering, strange and eye-opening look into the toxic manosphere. It should be required reading for anybody worried about the rise of incel culture and Andrew Tate' Zing Tsjeng

'Rarely have I read anything so politically important that's also so gripping' Zoe Williams

©2024 Jamie Tahsin, Matt Shea (P)2024 Quercus Editions Limited

Compelling true crime tale

As a forensic and clinical psychologist, I love reading true crime tales, especially if they take place in my native Romania. I finally understand the situation with this person and his following. It's much more than misoginy and incel culture, it's also a cult. The victims are not only the women, but also the young men they prey upon. Fantastic journalistic work!

Yellow Journalism Disguised as Fact

Matt Shea and Jamie Tahsin have written an interesting piece of fiction. And that’s exactly what this is - fiction.

While Shea is a good storyteller and has written a captivating piece, it’s more or less a story of yellow journalism in which his ideological bend has overshadowed any element of truth that can exist within here. I enjoyed his quirky, lovable nerd personality in contrast to the ultramasculine Tate brothers and the funny dynamics between them. This was honestly pretty entertaining and fun to read, but it was troubling how it was weaponized against the Tates.

While Andrew Tate and his brother may certainly be controversial figures, Shea's equivalency that they are "more dangerous than the Taliban" is absolute baloney. Furthermore, Shea does repeatedly call upon now falsified claims against the Tate brothers, such as the idea that they trafficked women into the sex trade as opposed to having run an entirely legal online webcam business. While this may skirt some ethical lines, it is not illegal.

I found Shea's story interesting in that he provides a few interesting glimpses into the Tates' life and their organization, though the story is more or less one of making mountains out of molehills. It actually made me want to join their organization when I was initially somewhat turned off by the idea.

I suspect that both Shea and Tahsin are attempting to have their own 15 minutes of fame while the Tate's are having theirs, which is entirely fair game and reasonable enough for a journalist. My issue is that they use a fictionalized, exaggerated account of two kickboxing internet personalities to essentially advocate for censorship of social media platforms, which is fundamentally anti-free speech.

This is not a pro-Tate review but rather an objective, unbiased one.