Who Is Liver King? All About Brian Johnson, His Steroids Controversy, And Netflix Documentary

News18

17-05-2025

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Brian Johnson gained notoriety on social media for consuming raw meat and pulling off odd strength feats.
Do you have trouble deciding what to watch on TV? We have a fantastic recommendation for anyone who wants to immerse themselves in something fascinating: Untold: The Liver King, the most recent documentary on Netflix, which debuted on May 13. The documentary explores the rise and fall of American social media influencer Brian Johnson, also known as the Liver King. He became famous for promoting an 'ancestral lifestyle." This lifestyle involved eating raw meat, especially organ meats like liver. He also followed nine 'ancestral tenets."
These tenets encouraged behaviours like eating raw food, exposing oneself to cold and sunlight, and doing intense physical activity. His bold and unusual habits attracted a large following online. But in 2022, Johnson was exposed for using steroids. He had previously denied it, which led to a backlash and a sharp decline in his reputation.
Watch the trailer here:
Who Is Brian Johnson And How Did He Become Liver King?
Brian Johnson, a 48-year-old father of two who became a social media celebrity, goes by the moniker 'The Liver King." Before becoming well-known as a social media influencer, Johnson worked in the supplement and pharmaceutical industries and studied biochemistry.
Originally from Texas, he started making waves on social media in early 2016 by advocating for an all-natural diet that mostly consisted of raw, unprocessed beef livers, testicles, tongues, and other organs, as well as bone broth and uncooked eggs.
As he bragged about the advantages of his diet, which he called the 'ancestral diet," Johnson was seen in video after video demonstrating his sinewy, muscled body pulling 4X4s, walking underwater with kettlebells, and bench-pressing his wife, Liver Queen.
According to the Netflix documentary, he became passionate about his body after his father passed away when he was a young child. Additionally, he was raised admiring films like Conan the Barbarian and Rambo. His story was made much more attractive on social media by the fact that his kids, Stryker and Rad, had been ill as children and that their ailments had been resolved by adopting a diet high in organs.
The Rise Of Liver King
The Liver King quickly established a fully-fledged digital empire and lifestyle brand centred on the 'ancestral lifestyle" with the aid of his wife, Barbara (the Liver Queen), and his two kids, who started sharing content under the aliases 'Liver Boy Rad" and 'Stryker the Barbarian."
He accumulated millions of fans and made appearances on podcasts with Logan Paul and others, promoting his 'ancestral lifestyle" and Ancestral Supplements. This turned out to be a $100 million industry, according to the documentary.
The Decline
Many, however, questioned whether Johnson's toned physique was due to his ancestral diet and lifestyle rather than steroids, as is the case with many health influencers. In his videos, he would appear shirtless and dispel rumours that his strong physique was the result of using steroids.
The nine principles of the 'ancestral life," he said, were sufficient: sleep, eat, move, connect, shield (avoid excessive exposure to WiFi and electromagnetic fields), cold, sun, fight (accept difficulties both mentally and physically), and bond.
Health professionals expressed worries about his diet as well, particularly over the consumption of raw meat, which they said would boost his risk of heart disease, high cholesterol, and stomach problems.
Johnson, however, denied using performance-enhancing substances or steroids on numerous occasions. 'I don't touch the stuff. I've never done the stuff. I'm not going to do the stuff," he said in 2022 on Mark Bell's Power Project podcast. But when a blood test and email leak appeared on the fitness YouTuber 'More Plates More Dates" channel in 2022, his fame fell apart.
The Liver King was found to be covertly taking $11,000 worth (about Rs 9 lakh) of steroids per month. Three days later, Johnson confessed to injecting human growth hormone (HGH) and steroids in a video titled 'Liver King Confession… I Lied."
Shortly after apologising, he stopped using social media. That was not the end of it, either, as he was hit with a $25 million lawsuit for deceit and fraud. The case against Johnson was withdrawn in March 2023, but his reputation was ruined.
The Aftermath
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Following the controversy, Johnson withdrew from the public glare; since mid-March, he has solely posted on Instagram, X, and TikTok to promote the documentary. In the Netflix film, he also discloses that he has changed his diet and quit using performance-enhancing substances.
He no longer follows a rigorous carnivorous diet and has been eating fruits and vegetables. In the upcoming years, he intends to open 302 wellness retreats while continuing to live by his ancestral principles.
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First Published:
May 17, 2025, 15:24 IST
News explainers Who Is Liver King? All About Brian Johnson, His Steroids Controversy, And Netflix Documentary