A social media fitness influencer known as the "Liver King" was arrested Tuesday after he posted threatening messages directed at popular podcaster Joe Rogan on social media, police in Texas said.
Austin police said in a statement that they arrested Brian Johnson after they learned that he was traveling to Austin, where Rogan lives, and threatening Rogan in a series of videos he posted on Instagram.
"Joe Rogan, I’m calling you out, my name’s Liver King. Man to man, I’m picking a fight with you," Johnson said in a video he posted Monday. "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."
In another video he posted that day, he similarly challenged Rogan to fight "man to man."
"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.
Police said that they contacted Rogan on Tuesday and that he told them he had never previously interacted with Johnson and considered the posts to be threatening.
Later that day, Johnson was apprehended at the Four Seasons Hotel and charged with terroristic threat, a class B misdemeanor, police said.
Representatives for Johnson and Rogan did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
The "Liver King's" videos promote what he describes as the "ancestral lifestyle," which includes consuming large amounts of raw meat and animal organs, particularly animal liver. Nutritionists have criticized his dietary techniques for spreading misinformation.
Johnson has never been a guest of Rogan’s highly successful podcast. However, Johnson and his alleged steroid use — which Johnson initially denied and then later apologized for — were the subject of one of Rogan’s podcast episodes in 2023, which has more than 8.7 million views on YouTube.
A video showing Johnson being handcuffed and put into a police vehicle was posted to his Instagram account — which has more than 3 million followers — on Tuesday.
