Lauren Southern’s Memoir Sheds Light on 2018 Incident with Andrew Tate
Few memoir chapters get people talking before the book is even out, but the newly released excerpt from Lauren Southern’s *This Is Not Real Life* is already echoing across headlines. Southern, who made her name as a provocative Canadian alt-right influencer, opens up about a night in Bucharest spent with Andrew Tate—a figure whose reputation often seems larger than life. The alleged incident took place seven years ago, but the details Southern recounts are anything but faded by time.
She was 22, flown out to Romania to discuss a media venture with Andrew and his brother, Tristan. Tommy Robinson—a British political activist known for his own controversies—was also at that dinner. As Southern tells it, she was drinking heavily and became noticeably intoxicated, at which point Tate made his move: a kiss she didn’t want, while she was in no shape to respond clearly. Things escalated after that. Southern describes losing and regaining consciousness, only to find herself being choked as Tate ignored her protests. She says she struggled, managed to pull at his arms, but was strangled again and unable to break free.
Southern’s account stands out for its level of detail and the pain woven between the lines. She’s clear that she never consented and that her repeated refusals were ignored. She also writes about why she didn’t go to the police right away: confusion about how authorities would respond with Tate being British, her being Canadian, and the event taking place in Romania, plus anxiety over what Tate might do in retaliation. The fear of both not being believed and his social reach weighed heavily on her decision to stay silent, at least until now.
Allegations Stir More Trouble for Andrew Tate Amid Legal Battles
If the public was expecting a calm, carefully worded response from Tate’s camp, that’s not what they got. His legal team trashed Southern’s chapter as “pathetic filth.” They didn’t offer specific evidence countering her narrative, and there haven’t been court documents filed to challenge her specific claims so far. Right now, this comes on top of the sexual assault allegations and a string of major charges Tate already faces in Romania—ten in total, including human trafficking and rape.
So far, Andrew Tate himself has stayed silent—no tweets, no video responses, just the sharp dismissal from his lawyers. But the timing is impossible to miss: the memoir excerpt hit Substack on July 15th, 2025, with Tate knee-deep in legal battles. Each new revelation keeps public scrutiny glued to everything surrounding the case. Internet sleuths and news watchers alike are combing the details.
Some people close to Southern have said off the record that she agonized for years about how—and whether—to tell her story, especially knowing the tidal wave of debate and scrutiny it would bring. The release of this chapter makes it clear that she no longer sees silence as an option, especially as conversations around consent, power, and accountability in the influencer world heat up.
This singular account from a prominent ex-influencer is forcing a new look at both the allegations facing Andrew Tate and the bigger picture of how assaults by powerful public figures are (or aren’t) dealt with far beyond courtroom walls. Whether Tate publicly responds or not, this story has already reignited arguments about consent, justice, and the unseen costs of celebrity power trips.
