Social media influencer Brian “Liver King” Johnson found himself behind bars in Austin on Tuesday, facing terrorism charges after his increasingly erratic behavior toward podcast host Joe Rogan crossed legal boundaries, according to Travis County Jail records.
The fitness personality, whose real name is Brian Johnson, was arrested by Austin Police Department officers and charged with Terroristic Threat, a Class B Misdemeanor. Sources confirmed to KXAN that the Brian Johnson listed in jail records is indeed the controversial social media figure known for his raw meat diet and primal lifestyle advocacy.
The arrest stems from a series of disturbing videos Johnson posted on Instagram, where he issued what authorities apparently deemed threatening statements directed at Rogan. In one video posted on June 23, Johnson delivered an unhinged challenge that has since been scrutinized by law enforcement.
“Joe Rogan, I’m calling you out, my name’s Liver King. Man to man, I’m picking a fight with you,” Johnson declared in the video, his demeanor visibly agitated. “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.”
The concerning nature of Johnson’s statements escalated beyond typical social media bravado. In rambling, stream-of-consciousness videos, he made disturbing declarations about his willingness to sustain injury, stating “I’m hoping that you, Joe Rogan, are thinking, I’m gonna choke that motherf**ker out, lights out” and “I hope that you won’t feel me tap — that’s never happening. Tapping.”
Exercise scientist Dr. Mike Israetel recently analyzed Johnson’s behavior patterns, identifying what he described as manic episodes. “I believe in diagnosing mania this is called tangential speech where it just goes off into nothing becomes completely chaotic,” Dr. Mike observed when examining Johnson’s increasingly erratic public statements.
The arrest became public when Johnson himself posted additional footage on Instagram around 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, showing what appears to be him wearing a burgundy hoodie and pants, handcuffed and being placed into a police vehicle by officers.
This legal trouble arrives amid ongoing scrutiny of Johnson’s business practices. Recent investigations have exposed significant problems with his supplement empire, which has generated nearly $800 million in sales. Internal documents revealed that his flagship protein powder “Whole Feast” contains ingredients that company employees described as products that “should not even be recommended for human consumption.”
The supplement scandal uncovered that despite marketing claims about premium Swedish ingredients, the products actually contained materials from “tens of thousands of cows” that were “not grass-finished and in some cases not even grass-fed” with animals “possibly given antibiotics.” Internal assessments described the products as having “a suboptimal and very inflammatory omega-6 ratio.”
Johnson’s history includes previous deceptions about his fitness regime, having been exposed for ster*id use while publicly claiming to maintain his physique through natural methods and his extreme ancestral diet.
The podcast host Joe Rogan has not publicly responded to Johnson’s provocations and previously expressed irritation at Johnson’s attempts to appear on his show. Rogan had previously discussed with Derek from More Plates More Dates about exposing Johnson’s PED use.
Police investigators have not yet confirmed specific details about the alleged threats or released additional information about the circumstances leading to the arrest. Austin Police Department has been contacted for further comment on the developing situation.
Attorney information for Johnson is not currently available through jail records.
