James Kennedy ‘Sorry’ for Posting Photo With Tate Brothers: I ‘Condemn Their Beliefs’

James Kennedy has apologized for recently sharing a photo with Andrew Tate and Tristan Tate, the controversial far-right influencer brothers who are charged with rape and human trafficking in Romania and are under criminal investigation in Florida.

The Vanderpump Rules star took to his Instagram Stories on Saturday to explain that he had shared on social media a photo with the Tates before he knew much about them. The photo was taken when Kennedy had performed at the LIV Las Vegas nightclub on Friday, March 7. The snapshot is no longer available on Kennedy’s social media.

“I regret posting a photo with the Tate brothers at an event last night,” Kennedy wrote on his Instagram Stories on Saturday, March 8. “I was unfamiliar with their content and the allegations against them.

“I only knew them as podcasters that had posted a viral clip about Vanderpump,” he continued. “I have since educated myself and condemn their beliefs. I am so sorry to all that I offended.”

The Tate brothers were detained in Romania in 2022 and charged the following year. They were accused of allegedly forming a trafficking group that misled and transported seven women to Romania, where

they were sexually exploited and physically abused. They also face potential extradition to the U.K. Andrew and Tristan Tate, who have dual citizenship in the U.S. and U.K., have denied the allegations.

Late last month, the Tate brothers were allowed to leave Europe and fly to the U.S., reportedly due to Trump’s envoy, Richard Grenell, who negotiated with the Romanian government to lift travel restrictions on the brothers, who are outspoken Trump supporters. Trump has denied having knowledge of the circumstances under which the Tates were given permission to travel to the U.S.

The brothers then traveled to Florida, where the state’s Attorney General James Uthmeier said the Tates were under criminal investigation. It’s unclear what the criminal probe entails, though they are embroiled in a legal battle with an American woman, who countersued them in Palm Beach Country, Florida, last month. Per court documents, the Jane Doe alleged the Tate brothers attempted to involve her in a webcam sex trafficking scheme. In 2023, the Tates sued her for defamation after she provided testimony to Romanian authorities. Her new countersuit — the first civil suit filed against the Tates in the U.S. — claims the Tates defamed her.

Meanwhile, DJ and TV personality Kennedy is no stranger to controversy himself. In December, Kennedy was arrested for misdemeanor domestic violence.