AUSTIN (KXAN) — After a social media influencer was arrested Tuesday in Austin, the question began circulating by our viewers — who is the “Liver King?”
The influencer, Brian Johnson, is currently facing a terroristic threat charge after he allegedly “made threats on his Instagram profile against podcaster celebrity Joe Rogan,” according to the Austin Police Department.
On Johnson’s Instagram, his bio said he is a public figure. The health influencer is known for consuming raw organ meats as part of what he calls an “ancestral lifestyle,” according to Time Magazine. He has close to 3 million followers on Instagram.
Johnson goes more in-depth on his lifestyle in the Netflix documentary, “Untold: The Liver King.” In the documentary, he explains how and why he built his supplement and nutrition empire and how he got “so huge,” according to the Netflix website.
In an Instagram video Johnson posted on June 23, he said, “Joe Rogan, I’m calling you out, my name’s Liver King. Man to man, I’m picking a fight with you. I have no training in Jiu-jitsu; you’re a black belt, you should dismantle me. But I’m picking a fight with you. Your rules, I’ll come to you, whenever you’re ready.”
Johnson and Rogan have a history after Rogan “mocked” Johnson on his podcast, “The Joe Rogan Experience,” according to The Hollywood Reporter.
The Hollywood Reporter states that Rogan allegedly previously called Johnson “preposterous,” after the influencer “insisted that his bulked-out physique was achieved due to his ‘natural’ lifestyle and that he did not use steroids.”
However, in 2022, Johnson admitted to using steroids and human growth hormone. This came after emails between Johnson and his doctor were leaked online.
Johnson was arrested Tuesday in Austin around 6 p.m.
Brianna Hollis contributed to this report
