Social Media Influencer ‘Liver King’ Arrested for ‘Terroristic Threat’ After Traveling to Austin to Fight Joe Rogan
Social media influencer “Liver King,” whose real name is Brian Johnson, was arrested in Austin, Texas, on Tuesday shortly upon arriving in podcast host Joe Rogan’s home town after allegedly making “a terroristic threat” against him.
Johnson — a Houston native who is popular on social media for his lifestyle involving the consumption of raw meat — faces one charge of Terroristic Threat, a Class B Misdemeanor, after traveling to Austin in an apparent attempt to find Rogan, according to a report by KXAN.
The Austin Police Department reportedly arrested Johnson in Rogan’s home town on Tuesday evening and booked him into Travis County Jail.
Video footage showing the social media influencer in handcuffs while being patted down by an officer, before getting into a police vehicle, was shared to Johnson’s Instagram account, where he boasts 2.9 million followers.
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The Austin Police Department confirmed to KXAN that Johnson was arrested at the Four Seasons Hotel in downtown Austin at around 6:00 p.m. after making “threats against Joe Rogan on his Instagram profile.”
“Detectives contacted Mr. Rogan, who stated he had never had any interaction with Johnson and considered the posts to be threatening,” police told the outlet.
Meanwhile, Johnson’s Instagram account includes several videos featuring the social media influencer — who also stars on Netflix’s TV series, Untold, in Season 5’s second episode, The Liver King — going on a series of bizarre, hard-to-follow rants involving Rogan.
“Joe Rogan, I’m calling you out,” Johnson declares in one of the videos, posted to his account on Monday, adding, “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,” Johnson continues. “But I’m picking a fight with you. Your rules, whatever you want me to weigh, I’ll weigh it. I weighed 190 this morning. I’ll come to you whenever you’re ready.”
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“I’m picking a fucking fight with this guy, J.R.,” Johnson asserts in another video.
In a third video, Johnson appears to be carrying Rogan-related merchandise and a type of sickle while leaving his house, saying, “Joe Rogan, that’s how we do it in Texas, you know? That’s real men kinda stuff.”
“We’re coming to Austin,” the social media influencer adds. “It’s Monday — and we’re coming.”
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A fourth video shows Johnson speaking into the camera, telling Rogan, “I’m coming to you. I’ve challenged you, man to man, to a fight. Honorable. And we don’t have to pretend or make any videos. The world is watching. They’ll make the videos for us.”
“You don’t have to hold a camera,” Johnson continues. “You can the hold the hand of somebody that you love, because what happens next, to you, you’re gonna need to remember that feeling. You’re gonna need something more than what you did to give you something to fight for.”
“Because I have my family to fight for, and I’ll die for them, you know that,” he adds. “You’re a blackbelt, but you’ve never come across something like this, [someone] willing to die.”
The Netflix star goes on to say that he hopes Rogan will “choke me out,” adding, “I pray to God, because that’s a dream come true.”
“I weigh 177 pounds. I’m an actual savage,” Johnson states.
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Johnson’s followers seemed both confused and concerned by the continuous rants, with one fan asking in the comment section, “What’s the beef with Rogan?” while several others inquired as to why the influencer appears to have one pupil dilatated and a “blue mouth.”
“Rogan vs. Liver King,” Johnson declares in a fifth video, before ranting — again — about how he is “fighting for my family.”
“You have one of those, what would you do for them?” Johnson says into the camera, speaking to Rogan, adding that their fight is “unwinnable for both of us.”
In a sixth video, speaking from inside the shower of his hotel room — while doing a “coffee enema” — Johnson claims “the police are coming” because “somebody’s overreacting.”
“I did not threaten to kill anybody,” Johnson maintains, claiming he has merely “picked a fight” with “Joe Rogan” out of “principle” and “family.”
After repeatedly stating that his Wi-Fi password is “Fuck you, Joe Rogan,” the social media influencer adds, “I’m challenging you, just as a man. I don’t want to kill you. Why would I want to kill you? You have a family. I wouldn’t want to take you away from your family.”
“I wouldn’t want that to happen, so I hope that none of this is perceived as a threat,” Johnson says. “Fuck you, Joe Rogan. You guys can call all the cops.”
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“Yeah I’m lost,” one social media user commented, asking, “Is Liver King okay?”
Johnson continues to rant about Rogan in several additional videos that are still accessible on his Instagram account at the time of this writing.
The Netflix star was charged with making a “terroristic threat” after seemingly threatening Rogan in his days-long series of deranged rants, Daily Mailreported.
The outlet added that it appears the social media influencer believes he should take credit for Rogan’s supplement empire after the UFC commentator and famed podcaster mentioned Johnson’s 2022 steroid scandal.
Leaked emails reportedly revealed Johnson was taking steroids that cost a staggering $11,000 per month — a revelation that runs counter to the influencer’s claim his physique is “natural” and the result of his raw meat diet.
Rogan criticized Johnson’s apparent dishonesty on his podcast, saying, “There’s no way you can look like that in your 40’s. I mean, he’s preposterously jacked.”
“I’m on testosterone,” Rogan said, adding, “unlike the Liver King, I’ll tell you the truth.”
Alana Mastrangelo is a reporter for Breitbart News. You can follow her on Facebook and X at @ARmastrangelo, and on Instagram.
