Joe Rogan's surprising statement to police after unhinged Netflix 'Liver King' stalked and menaced him
Joe Rogan told investigators he has no idea why disgraced fitness influencer 'Liver King' was 'targeting him' after the Netflix star was arrested for making terroristic threats this week.
The podcaster was reportedly quizzed by cops in Austin after the arrest of the 'Liver King', real name Brian Johnson, 48, following a bizarre social media spree that documented traveling to Rogan's hometown to 'fight him.'
Johnson's anger at Rogan appeared to stem from a 2022 scandal where he was exposed as a steroid user after he claimed to his millions of followers that his muscular physique was the result of a raw meat 'carnivore' diet.
Rogan amplified the scandal on his huge Spotify podcast, but in arrest documents first obtained by TMZ, police say Rogan was surprised by the recent episode with Johnson as he had never had any actual contact with him.
The podcaster told police that he has been told Johnson 'has a significant drug issue', according to the arrest documents.
Rogan has not commented publicly on Johnson's recent menacing behavior.
In the days before his arrest, Johnson went on a manic tirade on Instagram where he shared dozens of videos of himself ranting about fighting Rogan, giving himself a 'coffee enema', and seemingly talking to himself.
Rogan seemed to be aware of the videos as he also told cops following Johnson's arrest that he 'appears to be significantly unstable and seems like he needs help.'
Johnson was taken into custody on Tuesday in an arrest he also documented for social media, and he was charged with making terroristic threats, a misdemeanor, and posted a $20,000 bail.
After posting bail, Johnson was back on Instagram as he shared several more videos of himself speaking into the camera, including one of him enjoying steaks and saying he 'had to wash the jail off of me.'
In another clip, Johnson filmed himself next to candlelight thanking God for 'this moment', with fans flooding his comment section urging the influencer to 'get help.'
The bizarre posts followed a string of worrying Instagram clips Johnson shared in the lead up to his arrest, garnering millions of views as he rambled about fighting Rogan.
As he filmed himself getting ready to leave his home in Willis, Texas to find Rogan in Austin, he showed a Joe Rogan podcast branded box with an axe perched ominously on top, and said: 'We come bearing gifts, for those that deserve it.'
'We'll see you soon,' he said as he addressed Rogan directly. 'Real tension I have with you, real f***ing beef.'
'If I could just get a formal invitation to the Joe Rogan podcast, I could release myself from leaving tomorrow,' he said the day before he left.
The next day, Johnson shared another clip calling out Rogan to fight him, saying: 'Man to man, I'm picking a fight with you... I have no training in Jui Jitsu, you have a black belt, you should dismantle me.'
Wearing a wolf's head hat, Johnson began dancing on camera with his shirt off, saying: 'That's pretty entertaining right?'
'You can't pick a fight with a real king and then expect there not to be an actual fight, bro,' he added.
After sharing several more clips of himself aimlessly talking into the camera, Johnson shared another clip on Tuesday morning as he made his way to Austin, pointing his camera at the axe and saying: 'You can't buy this kind of stuff, the serial numbers are not replicable.'
Speaking from a hotel room in Austin once he arrived in Rogan's hometown, Johnson claimed in an erratic shower video that he'd had a run in with police over his threats, and also showed himself giving himself a 'coffee enema.'
'I challenge you today, Joe Rogan,' he said. 'I'm here at the Four Seasons in Austin, I'm in the shower... I didn't sleep the day before, I was up for about 40 hours.'
Johnson went on a hard-to-follow rant about a run-in with police officers as he jumped back and forth from multiple topics in no logical order.
'The police are coming or something's happening... I've not threatened to kill anybody. Did somebody say that I was going to kill somebody?' he said.
'I am going to. I've picked a fight. Who have I picked a fight with? Joe Rogan... Why? Out of principle. Family.'
'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. F**k you Joe Rogan, you guys can call all the cops.'
Later, his wife shared another video purporting to show the moment he was searched and placed into a cop car by officers.
In the video, a member of his team, while filming, tells his wife that Johnson may have to spend up to 24 hours in jail as his matter is dealt with.
Johnson was seen in footage filmed by a member of his 'team' wordlessly complying with officers as they patted him down while he wore handcuffs.
The influencer had kept a relatively low profile after his steroid scandal came to light in 2022, but has resurfaced and ramped up his social media presence in the wake of a new Netflix documentary which released in April.
'Untold: The Liver King' explores his supplement empire and rise to the top by eating raw meat - specifically animal livers and testicles - on social media.
After another fitness YouTuber caught him in his bold faced lie with blood test results and a leaked email, Johnson filmed a video admitting fault.
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