Why is Liver King influencer Brian Johnson controversial? Netflix's Untold explained
Influencer The Liver King, also known as Brian Johnson, is the subject of a new documentary on Netflix, which explores his stratospheric rise to fame on social media after promoting an "ancestral lifestyle".
This consisted of him promoting the benefits eating of raw meat, particularly organs like liver, kidneys and testicles. He implied online that his impressive physique was a result of this extreme diet and extensive exercise only.
The documentary explores how he was able to transfix viewers on social media but also the consequences of believing everything you see online, as well as the controversies Johnson faced.
Johnson began his social media journey in 2016, steadily building a following as he promoted an ancestral lifestyle. He became known as The Liver King for his love, and promotion of, eating liver, and he went on to create a brand selling liver pills known as Ancestral Supplements. This proved incredibly popular and he successfully built a business empire.
250,000 people per month were said to be buying his supplements at one time. Johnson's fame rose exponentially in 2021, and he began to appear on podcasts with people like Logan Paul on a regular basis. His fans came to believe that Johnson's ancestral lifestyle was a healthy and natural way to achieve healthy living.
However as interest began to grow in The Liver King so too did criticism of the lifestyle he was pushing online.
The Liver King began courting controversy when medical professionals claiming that Johnson's physique had to be a result of taking steroids, and not by eating raw meat as he said online. Health experts also began to highlight how dangerous his extreme diet was, and how consuming raw meat regularly would increase the risk of high cholesterol, heart disease and digestive issues.
Despite increased questions about whether he took steroids, Johnson maintained in interviews that he never took any and that his physique was achieved simply through his ancestral living. However, things came to a head in November 2022 when leaked emails revealed that he was using steroids.
It was confirmed that he was spending $11,000 (£8,000) per month on performance-enhancing drugs, including anabolic steroids and human growth hormones. His empire crumbled as a result of this, as it directly contradicted what he had been saying online.
Johnson eventually admitted publicly that he took steroids, releasing a video on social media in which he said: "I misled you. I got caught up in the game, and I lied."
This scandal created a huge amount of outrage from his fanbase, and some followers even went so far as to file a $25 million (£19 million) lawsuit accusing him of fraud and deception. Ultimately the case against Johnson was dropped, but his reputation was irreparably damaged.
Despite this controversy, Johnson has been able to continue his social media career and he still shares videos on YouTube, Instagram and TikTok. He has 1.21m fans on YouTube, 2.9m followers on Instagram, and 6.1m fans on TikTok.
Johnson no longer only eats raw meat, he now eats fruit and vegetables that he grows himself.
Untold: The Liver King premieres on Netflix on Tuesday, 13 May.
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