Brian Johnson, known as the “Liver King,” has admitted to using steroids to achieve his muscular physique. Johnson had gained millions of followers by promoting a raw meat diet and extreme workouts. In leaked emails from 2022, it was revealed that Johnson spent $11,000 a month on steroids.
He initially denied using steroids and built a $300 million empire. However, he eventually admitted to using “pharmacy-grade human growth hormones.”
Johnson expressed his struggles with the exposure of his deceit in a Netflix documentary titled “Untold: The Liver King.” The 48-year-old influencer said, “I never expected this exposure in the public eye, and it’s been tricky as f–k to navigate. How do I repent?
I don’t know what comes next. I don’t have the answer to that yet.”
The documentary’s director, Joe Pearlman, described Johnson as a marketing genius who understood how to sell to an audience effectively. Despite the scandal, the documentary sheds light on Johnson’s journey and the impact of his deceit on his followers.
Steroid admission and its consequences
Johnson is not the first fitness influencer to mislead the public with false claims about their fitness routines and lifestyles. This story highlights the deception that can exist behind popular fitness personas and the importance of scrutinizing information shared by influential figures online.
Since the steroid scandal, Johnson has made significant changes in his life. He has renounced his exclusive carnivore diet, acknowledging that his previous beliefs about the benefits of a raw meat diet were misguided. “Vegetables and testicles, I can have all of it,” Johnson shared in the documentary released on May 13, 2025.
He admitted, “I was starving myself,” now realizing the importance of a balanced diet. Johnson’s advocacy once included avoiding “man-made poisons,” such as perfumes, plastics, and excessive Wi-Fi. However, he has since adopted a more moderate stance, conceding, “An extreme approach to anything probably ain’t f–king working out.
Despite the controversy, Johnson’s family remains supportive.
His wife, Barbara, the “Liver Queen,” supports him and openly shares their family life on social media. The documentary “Untold: The Liver King” provides viewers with an in-depth look at Johnson’s past, his rise to fame, and the significant changes he has made in his life following the steroid scandal.
