'Liver King' arrested for making terroristic threats toward Joe Rogan following bizarre saga
Brian Johnson, the online influencer also known as 'The Liver King,' was arrested Tuesday in Austin, Texas, following a bizarre series of social media posts in which he repeatedly challenged UFC color commentator Joe Rogan to a fight. Johnson faces one charge with allegedly making a terroristic threat after a multi-day saga that culminated with the 47-year-old flying to the popular podcaster's home city of Austin while continuing to post rambling online threats directed at Rogan.
Local Austin outlet KXAN first reported news of Johnson's arrest. In a statement released Wednesday to MMA Fighting, Austin Police Department said the department "contacted Mr. Rogan, who stated he had never had any interaction with Johnson and considered the posts to be threatening. Based on this information, detectives obtained an arrest warrant for Johnson on a charge of Terroristic Threat."
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On Tuesday, June 24, 2025, at approximately 9:30 a.m., Austin Police Department (APD) detectives were notified that a subject identified as Brian Johnson, known online as 'Liver King', had made threats against Joe Rogan on his Instagram profile. Detectives reviewed the posts and observed that Johnson was traveling to Austin while continuing to make threatening statements. Detectives contacted Mr. Rogan, who stated he had never had any interaction with Johnson and considered the posts to be threatening. Based on this information, detectives obtained an arrest warrant for Johnson on a charge of Terroristic Threat.
Later that day, at approximately 5:59 p.m., APD officers located Johnson at the Four Seasons Hotel located at 98 San Jacinto Boulevard and took him into custody without incident. He was transported to the Travis County Jail and charged with Terroristic Threat, a Class B misdemeanor. This remains an active investigation, and there is no further information is available at this time.
Johnson's social media timeline is littered with a sprawling amount of strange videos directed at Rogan over the past several days, many of which contain threats and allusions of violence.
"Guess what? You're dead, b****. You're dead," Johnson said in one recent video. "You're dead. Welcome to Texas."
Johnson continued to post footage immediately before and after his arrest on Tuesday, including several that show him getting dressed and ready to go meet police at a Four Seasons Hotel in downtown Austin.
Johnson's charge of making a terroristic threat toward Rogan is considered a Class B Misdemeanor in Texas, which carries a potential penalty of up to 180 days in jail and as well as a possible $2,000 fine.
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He is currently being held on $20,000 bond.
Johnson initially rose to fame as an online influencer who touted a "natural" and "ancestral" lifestyle which included a diet consisting heavily of eating raw meat. Rogan was one of numerous critics who repeatedly accused Johnson of using steroids — claims which Johnson adamantly denied until admitting to his steroid use in 2022, some of which he said cost upward of $11,000 per month. Following the admission, Johnson stated that his "Liver King" persona was "an experiment to spread the message.'
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New York Post
9 hours ago
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Joe Rogan told cops Liver King appears ‘unstable,' and heard influencer had a ‘significant drug issue'
Joe Rogan told police that he believed the 'Liver King' was 'significantly unstable' before he was arrested for his unhinged threats toward the podcaster on social media. The Austin Police Department detectives said they were notified about the fitness influencer — whose real name is Brian Johnson — and his string of Instagram videos around 9:30 a.m. on Tuesday, in which he repeatedly went on rants about wanting to fight Rogan, police told The Post. Detectives then saw that Johnson, 47, traveled to Austin — the city Rogan has lived in since leaving California in 2020 — where he continued to make threatening posts against the UFC commentator. 5 Joe Rogan told police he believed the 'Liver King' was 'unstable' after they reached out to him about the fitness influencer's online threats. Joe Rogan Experience/Youtube Law enforcement then reached out to Rogan, who 'stated he had never had any interaction with Johnson and considered the posts to be threatening.' Rogan, 57, told police that he was unaware that the influencer was 'targeting him' and had been told by other people that Johnson 'has a significant drug issue,' according to legal documents obtained by TMZ. The former 'Fear Factor' host also said that Johnson 'appears to be significantly unstable and seems like he needs help.' Cops then busted the 'Liver King' at around 6 p.m. on Tuesday after discovering he had checked into the Four Seasons Hotel in Austin, officials told The Post. Johnson — who was forced to admit in 2022 that his ripped physique was really due to spending $11,000 a month on steroids — was then booked into the Travis County Jail and charged with Terroristic Threat, a Class B misdemeanor. 5 Detectives saw that Johnson, 47, traveled to Austin — the city Rogan has lived in since leaving California in 2020 — where he continued to make threatening posts against the UFC commentator. Instagram/@liverking 5 Cops busted the 'Liver King' at around 6 p.m. on Tuesday after discovering he had checked into the Four Seasons Hotel in Austin. Instagram/@liverking The YouTuber had a disheveled appearance in his mugshot, staring dead into the camera with very little emotion behind his eyes, which were dragged down by hefty bags. Johnson was released on a $20,000 bond and was ordered to have no contact with Rogan or his family, to take a mental health evaluation within a week of his release, and not be in possession of firearms, online records show. 'The Joe Rogan Experience' doesn't feature an episode with Johnson as a guest, but he has come up multiple times before on the show when the discussion centers around bodybuilding and performance-enhancing drugs. The influencer started his unhinged, shirtless rants against Rogan on Monday, challenging him to an 'honorable' fight while wearing a fur headdress and holding what appears to be a gun in each hand. 'Joe Rogan, I'm calling you out, my name's Liver King. Man to man, I'm picking a fight with you,' he said, while sporting the wolf pelt. 'I have no training in jiu-jitsu, you're a black belt, you should dismantle me. But I'm picking a fight with you. Your rules, I'll come to you, whenever you're ready.' 5 Johnson had a disheveled appearance in his mugshot, staring dead into the camera with very little emotion behind his eyes, which were dragged down by hefty bags. Austin Police Department 5 Rogan has not publicly commented on Johnson's arrest. Getty Images He again challenged the podcaster to fight him 'man to man' while proclaiming he has a 'family to fight for' in a video posted the same day. 'You never come across something like this, willing to die, hoping that you'll choke me out because that's a dream come true,' Johnson said in his rant. Johnson, who has more than 10 million followers, continued rants in footage posted to his Instagram Tuesday til the moment he was seen being put in cuffs and taken away by police. Following his release, Johnson addressed his arrest while only referring to Rogan as 'some guy,' but directly refers to the podcaster's comedy club, 'Mothership,' by name in a nonsensical video on Wednesday. Rogan has not publicly commented on Johnson's arrest or incessant invites to fight.
