BRIAN Johnson is a social media influencer known for crediting his physique to his consumption of raw organs – in actual fact he was using steroids.
His million-dollar scheme will be the focus of a Netflix documentary named Untold: The Liver King.
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Becoming obsessed with fitness
Brian was born in 1976 in Puerto Rico, where his father – a member of the US Air Force – was stationed.
The family relocated to Lackland Air Force Base in San Antonio, Texas, before Brian’s father sadly passed away.
Brian claimed that he was undersized for his age as a child and had a speech impediment which required vocal therapy.
He eventually attended Texas Tech University where he majored in biochemistry studies, before relocating to Houston.
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His interest in fitness began when he was first referred to as Marky Mark by a classmate, in a reference to Mark Wahlberg.
Opening up about that moment, Johnson said: “I realised other guys wanted to be like me.
“And for the first time in my life, girls started to take notice of me.”
Launching the Liver King
Brian went viral on social media for his controversial diet, which he credited for giving him a strong physique.
He claimed that his lifestyle was based around nine “ancestral tenets” and required him to eat large amounts of raw organs and meat.
His nickname, Liver King, was based on his particular love for the livers of various predatory animals.
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Brian also submerged himself in icebaths, dragged weights down his driveway using his teeth and showed off gruelling workout routines.
On his website, he said: “I’m not a hospital, I’m not a doctor, this is not medical advice. I do, however, have a degree in biochemistry.”
His brand appealed to fans across the world, allowing him to build up a following of several million on Instagram and TikTok.
Brian nicknamed his fans “primals” and his fame eventually grew so much that celebrities began to take notice of him.
Logan Paul invited Brian onto his podcast, with the pair chowing down various meats including testicles.
Some podcasters weren’t as complimentary as Logan Paul, though, with Joe Rogan claiming that the Liver King allegedly had an “a** full of steroids”.
Brian even incorporated his family into his social media brand, nicknaming his two sons, Rad and Stryker, the “Savage Liver Boys”.
He shares his sons with his wife Barbara, a fellow fitness enthusiast who also follows Brian’s “ancestral” lifestyle.
The Liver King’s scam was exposed
However, Brian’s wellness empire fell apart when he was exposed for using steroids to achieve his physique.
Fans were outraged at the news, with many of them launching lawsuits against the Liver King.
The shocking news was first published by YouTube channel More Plates More Dates, which had seen emails revealing that Brian actually spent $11,000 a month on steroids.
The Liver King later appeared on Piers Morgan, where he was grilled about his steroid use.
Johnson said: “I feel like a total piece of crap. I know what I did was wrong. I lied about it,” he told Piers.
“I feel like I’ve let an entire generation down.
“Part of the reason why I feel so horrific about it is I know what it feels like to be 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15 with zero self-worth, completely embarrassed and humiliated of the brain and body that I have, right?
“So when I connect with these young people, I know how they feel.
“I feel like I’ve betrayed a whole generation of people.”
He then said it was “impossible” to say how much of his physique was down to steroids.
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Untold: The Liver King
A Netflix documentary about Brian career and steroid scam will land on the streaming platform on May 13.
Entitled Untold: The Liver King, the show will feature exclusive interviews with the people who exposed Johnson’s scam.
The documentary’s director Joe Pearlman said that he became interested in the case because of its relation to social media.
Joe said” “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.
“When shock and outrage get views, what are you willing, or even able, to keep doing to stay at the top of the algorithm?”