Liver King has been arrested and charged with making alleged ‘terroristic threats’ against Joe Rogan, Austin’s KXAN reports.
The 47-year-old social media influencer, whose real name is Brian Johnson, shared a series of Instagram videos challenging the podcaster to a fight.
In the videos posted between 23rd and 24th June, Johnson directly confronted Rogan, stating: “Joe Rogan, I’m calling you out, my name’s Liver King. Man to man, I’m picking a fight with you. 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 Austin Police Department confirmed to Rolling Stone that detectives were notified about the threats on Tuesday, June 24th at approximately 9:30 am. “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,” the statement read.
View this post on InstagramLove Music?
Get your daily dose of metal, rock, indie, pop, and everything else in between.
Johnson was subsequently taken into custody at a Four Seasons Hotel in Austin, Texas, on 24th June. He now faces one Class B Misdemeanor charge of Terroristic Threat Causing Fear of Imminent SBI and is being held on $20,000 bond.
According to the Texas-based Keates Law Firm website, this charge generally relates to threats “to commit any offense involving violence with intent to place a person in fear of imminent serious bodily injury,’ or placing ‘the public or a substantial group of the public in fear of serious bodily injury.”
The conflict between the two personalities has a history dating back to 2022, when Rogan accused Johnson of using steroids. “There’s no way you can look like that in your 40s,” Rogan said at the time. “I mean, he’s preposterously jacked.” Later that year, Johnson admitted to steroid use in a video addressing the accusations, stating: “Yes, I’ve done steroids, and yes, I’m on steroids, monitored and managed by a trained hormone clinician. Liver King, the public figure, was an experiment to spread the message.”
Last month, Netflix released Untold: The Liver King as part of its sports documentary series, exploring Johnson’s rise to internet fame. Director Joe Pearlman noted when announcing the film: “We live in a time when someone can reach hundreds of millions of people without going through any kind of traditional gatekeeping. No background checks. Just a phone and a guy. And when shock and outrage get views, what are you willing, or even able, to keep doing to stay at the top of the algorithm?”
The Austin Police Department has confirmed to Rolling Stone that the investigation remains active.
