'It's death by scurvy': Andrew and Tristan Tate seek bail as they fight UK extradition

Social media influencers Andrew and Tristan Tate have told a US court they are playing characters online when they do crude posts and those are not their true personalities.

The brothers - handcuffed, in shackles and wearing prison clothing - are fighting extradition to the UK where they are wanted on rape and trafficking charges.

Their court appearance came during a hearing in Miami that concluded with no decision about whether the siblings, who are dual American and UK citizens, should be eligible for bail.

Magistrate Judge Lauren Louis declined to rule immediately on their bail request, meaning they will remain in US custody until she issues her written ruling.

The Tates have denied the allegations. During Thursday's hearing, their lawyers argued the brothers should be released so they can defend themselves in Romania, where they face separate criminal charges that they have also denied.

The former kickboxers have built a large online following as they promoted their views ​on masculinity and wealth. Andrew Tate has previously described himself as a misogynist.

Prosecutors described the siblings as flight risks who exaggerate, lie under oath and should remain behind bars.

On the witness stand, 39-year-old Andrew Tate denied being a rapist or a human trafficker and described the proceedings as his "last chance".

"If there's any court in the world that will listen to me," he testified, "it will be an American court."

'A caricature'

"Top G is a caricature," he said, referring to an online personality that he called a "hyperbolic character".

"I do this to shake men out ‌of apathy," he said.

Tristan Tate, 38, testified that his brother's outlandish comedy "makes him go viral".

"He's the only person in the world who is judged by a character that he plays," Tristan Tate said.

What does the prosecution say?

Assistant US attorney Abbie Waxman told the judge that Andrew Tate is accused of choking and holding victims and raping them, while Tristan Tate is accused of human trafficking, money laundering and violence against minors.

She said: "They promote incredible violence against women. It is not a character, it is who they are."

At one point, when she asked Tristan Tate whether he was a liar, he responded, "I play a character, no more than any actor."

Tristan Tate said he spends his days locked in a jail cell measuring 5ft by 11ft. He said the only toilet in his cell is where anyone walking by can see him.

'Death by scurvy'

He said that he had suffered chemical attacks and that his daily diet is made up mostly of sweets and crisps.

"It's death by scurvy instead of death by starvation," he said.

Prosecutors have said prisoners are given three balanced meals a day.

Defence lawyer Howard Srebnick said his clients were not flight risks and have been unfairly cast as monsters for the internet "characters" they play.

He said Andrew Tate's "Top G" internet personality "is not the real Andrew Tate - that is not the person Andrew Tate. That is the character".

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The charges

After the brothers were arrested in July by US authorities in Miami, the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) said it was bringing further charges against them.

Andrew Tate was charged with seven further counts of rape, three counts of arranging or facilitating trafficking for sexual exploitation, three counts of assault occasioning actual bodily harm and 19 additional charges relating to indecent images of a child and extreme pornography.

Tristan Tate was charged with one count of sexual assault, two counts of rape and three counts of arranging or facilitating trafficking for sexual exploitation.

The CPS said it had identified four additional alleged victims. It said the 38 additional charges, in addition to 21 existing charges, relate to alleged offences between July 2010 and August 2017.

(c) Sky News 2026: 'It's death by scurvy': Andrew and Tristan Tate seek bail as they fight UK extradition