Social media influencer Brian Johnson, a.k.a. Liver King, was arrested in Austin, Texas on Tuesday, June 24, after posting videos addressed to podcaster Joe Rogan.
Johnson, 47, was booked in the Travis County Jail and charged with a misdemeanor charge of making a terroristic threat, according to online arrest records. His arrest comes after he posted a series of videos via his Instagram account in which he challenged Rogan, 57, to a fight, saying he’s going to make the Austin resident “pay.”
“Man to man, I’m picking a fight with you,” he said in the video posted Monday, June 23. “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.”
“Detectives reviewed the posts and observed that Johnson was traveling to Austin while continuing to make threatening statements,” police said in a statement to the Hollywood Reporter. “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.”
Johnson and Rogan have a long-standing feud, chronicled in the Netflix documentary Untold: The Liver King. Rogan previously called out the influencer for claiming he achieved his physique by sticking to a raw meat diet of animal liver, testicles, and fertilized chicken eggs, in addition to a bizarre workout routine — not steroid use.
Johnson was later forced to admit he used substances when emails surfaced between him and a doctor showing he paid as much as $11,000 a month on steroids and human growth hormone.
“Joe Rogan, we don’t have to make videos to pretend anymore,” he continued. “All of this is happening. We’re coming to you. I’ve challenged you, man to man, to a fight. Honorable … You can hold the hand of somebody that you love, because you’re going to need to remember that feeling. You’re going to need something to fight for, because I have my family to fight for and that I’ll die for. And you’re a black belt, [but] you’ve you’ve never come across something like this. [I’m] willing to die, hoping that you’ll choke me out.”
In another video, Johnson said, “Shame on you, I’m going to make you pay … I’m going to fight, and I’m not going to stop.”
As the situation leading up to his arrest unfolded, another series of videos posted to Johnson’s account on Tuesday showed him pacing in his living room, talking about the police outside and the prospect of being arrested.
The camera then showed him being taken away in handcuffs and placed in the back of a police car as his wife, Bozena “Barbara” Johnson, looked on and someone off-camera explained the situation to her.
Johnson instructed the cameraman to be sure to upload the videos to social media.
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