Brian Johnson, widely known as the “Liver King,” gained fame in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic, primarily due to his unconventional diet and nutrition philosophies. Advocating what he called the “ancestral lifestyle,” he promoted eating raw meat to emulate how ancient civilizations lived and survived.
While Johnson’s methods garnered significant attention, they also sparked controversy. Many experts criticized his approach, deeming it unsuitable and potentially harmful. Johnson attributed his impressive muscle mass to this “primal” way of living, though speculation swirled about his use of steroids.
Despite repeatedly denying the use of performance-enhancing drugs (PEDs), Johnson’s claims were debunked when leaked lab results confirmed his heavy steroid use.
Recently, Johnson was embroiled in legal trouble following an attempted feud with podcast host Joe Rogan. What began as a public exchange of challenges escalated when, on June 24, 2025, Johnson issued a series of threats against Rogan.
After persistently taunting Rogan for a fight, Johnson traveled to Austin, TX, where Rogan resides, prompting law enforcement to intervene.
Liver King Fight Callouts
Broadcast journalist and bodybuilding commentator Nick Miller of Nick’s Strength and Power traced the situation’s origins to the Liver King’s Instagram page. On his account, Johnson shared what could be described as manic videos, including vague and, at times, direct threats aimed at Rogan.
In one instance, Johnson mentioned he would refrain from posting new videos after his confrontation with Rogan. Johnson’s video posts from Austin, TX, caught the attention of the Austin Police, who spoke with Rogan, who stated that he found the videos threatening.
Acting on this, police located Johnson in his hotel room, where he was arrested on a charge of making a terroristic threat. He was subsequently booked into the Travis County Jail.
Attention Seeking
Miller suspected that everything leading to Johnson’s arrest was likely a strategic publicity stunt.
If I hadn’t seen the mugshot and the jail record…I wouldn’t have believed the arrest. But he was actually arrested.
—Nick Miller
Miller suggested that viewers of Johnson’s videos might be inclined to perceive him as eccentric or unhinged. “His pupils are dilated, and his skin looks like he’s aged 20 years in the last five years,” Miller described. “He’s got scabs on his face, and his hair doesn’t look clean, but he always looks like that. He’s always been a weird guy.”
Miller proposed that Johnson might feign insanity for the sake of attention, describing Johnson as exhibiting narcissistic tendencies. “At one point, during COVID, there was a good six months to a year where Liver King may have been the most talked about, well-known, recognizable person on the internet,” Miller expressed. “The fame of fame he hit and how drastically and quickly his downfall came; ’til now, nobody cared about him. That probably impacted him.”
Miller believes Johnson is eager to reclaim the fame he once enjoyed and is attempting to achieve that by adopting an outrageous persona, sharing bizarre videos, and publicly challenging one of the most prominent figures in the world.
“This is the only thing in recent memory where people looked at a Liver King video and cared,” Miller said. This could tie into Johnson’s brief resurgence in fame following his appearance in the Netflix documentary.
Miller doesn’t believe Johnson is entirely unhinged. In videos filmed in Johnson’s hotel room before his arrest, he is surrounded by his family and team, suggesting support amidst the chaos.
Johnson had the foresight to make Joe Rogan versus Liver King merch, and put it on before getting arrested.
—Nick Miller
Miller argued that if Johnson were genuinely experiencing a drug-induced episode or a mental breakdown, it’s unlikely his family would be present supporting him. Miller’s disbelief of the situation was due to the impression that Johnson seemed isolated, which fed speculation. Miller presumed that Johnson likely didn’t expect police involvement.
“If you remove the arrest from the equation, all he’s doing is calling out Joe Rogan to a fight, going to Austin, TX, and posting videos that seem like he’s crazy,” Miller commented. “Maybe it was a desperate Hail Mary that Rogan might respond. That was probably the outcome that the Liver King hoped for.”
Drugs or a Mental Breakdown?
Rogan has openly shared his dislike for Johnson, recounting how the latter and his team have persistently reached out to secure a spot on Rogan’s podcast.
Miller doesn’t believe Johnson is using drugs beyond the confirmed steroids, nor does he think Johnson’s experiencing a mental breakdown.
A desperate, lame, fake, pathetic final attempt to grasp more attention.
—Nick Miller
Miller submitted that Johnson might reveal he was intentionally acting outrageously in a few months, and the internet fell for it. Miller believes that when people realize Johnson’s insincere actions, he will lose credibility and interest in his future content.
Bodybuilding Content
Featured image: @liverking on Instagram
