In February 2018, Lauren Southern, a right-wing Canadian political influencer, met Andrew Tate during a trip to Bucharest, Romania. At the time, Southern was gaining attention for her provocative anti-feminist and anti-immigrant videos, while Tate was a British American kickboxer building a brand centered around hyper-masculinity. Years later, he would face serious allegations of rape and human trafficking.

In her self-published memoir, "This Is Not Real Life," Southern claims that Tate assaulted and strangled her in a hotel room while she was intoxicated. She provided a 2018 report from a Toronto hospital where she stated she sought medical attention after the alleged encounter, outlining that she was attacked by a 30-year-old man in Romania. Although the hospital could not confirm the authenticity of the report due to patient privacy, two companions from the trip have corroborated that Southern shared her experience of assault with them soon after it occurred. Tate's lawyer has called her allegations false, stating, "She is lying through her teeth."