Liver King
Primal Living Built on Steroid Lies
Brian Johnson, known online as Liver King, became a viral fitness influencer through a persona centered on eating raw organ meats and following what he called nine "ancestral tenets." He promoted his Ancestral Supplements product line and consistently stated that his extreme muscularity was the product of his ancestral lifestyle rather than performance-enhancing drugs. He attracted millions of followers who were drawn to his philosophy and his claimed example of what natural living could achieve.
In November 2022, leaked email correspondence between Johnson and a bodybuilding coach, published by fitness YouTuber Derek of More Plates More Dates, revealed that Johnson had been spending approximately $11,000 per month on a regimen of performance-enhancing drugs including testosterone, human growth hormone, and other anabolic compounds. The emails were detailed and specific. Johnson's physique, which he had consistently attributed to diet and lifestyle, had been produced in substantial part through pharmaceutical enhancement he had not disclosed.
Following the leak, Johnson released a video publicly acknowledging steroid use and issuing an apology. He stated that he had been wrong to deceive his audience and expressed regret for the impact on followers who had followed his protocol believing it could produce similar results without pharmaceutical assistance. A class-action lawsuit was subsequently filed alleging that consumers had purchased Ancestral Supplements products based on misleading marketing claims about what produced Johnson's physique.
Medical professionals also raised concerns about Johnson's promotion of raw organ meat consumption, including liver, brain, and testicles, noting that raw animal products carry risks of bacterial infection and parasites. Johnson's supporters have credited his ancestral lifestyle philosophy as genuinely beneficial regardless of the steroid disclosure, and some have continued to follow his content after the apology. His supplement business continued to operate following the controversy.