Influencer ‘Liver King’ Freed on Bond After Threats to Joe Rogan

Austin police arrested social-media fitness personality Brian “Liver King” Johnson on 24 June after prosecutors charged him with one count of making a terroristic threat, a Class B misdemeanor under Texas law. Officers took Johnson, 47, into custody at the Four Seasons Hotel in downtown Austin at about 6 p.m. and booked him into Travis County Jail.

According to the arrest affidavit, detectives reviewed a series of Instagram videos in which Johnson brandished gold-plated rifles, vowed he was “coming for” Joe Rogan and documented a three-hour drive from his home in Willis, Texas, to the podcaster’s hometown. Rogan told investigators he had never interacted with Johnson, described the posts as threatening and said he believed the influencer appeared “significantly unstable.”

Johnson was released the following day after posting a US$20,000 bond. Court records stipulate that he must stay at least 200 yards from Rogan and his family, surrender any firearms, wear a GPS ankle monitor and undergo a mental-health evaluation within seven days. A preliminary hearing is scheduled for 16 July.

The self-styled advocate of an “ancestral” raw-meat diet commands millions of followers across TikTok, Instagram and YouTube but has faced mounting scrutiny since admitting steroid use in 2022. Shortly after leaving jail he resumed posting online, again hinting at a desire to fight Rogan despite the court order.