From Liver King to Liar King: An Organ-Eating Fitness Guru Exposes His Steroid Use in a Shocking YouTube ApologyBrian Johnson, who makes $100 million a year on his all-natural raw meat diet and fitness regime, tells his followers, 'I am on steroids.'

ByJonathan Small

The Liver King built a $100 Million a year kingdom hyping a diet of raw meat andrigorous exerciseto achieve "strength, health, and happiness."

In his viral videos onTikTokInstagram, YouTube, organ-devouring生活r King loudly evangelized for an "ancestral" caveman-like lifestyle, eating such delicacies as raw liver, bone marrow, and bull testicles.

He subsequently made a fortune selling protein supplements and dried animal organs through his Heart & Soil and Ancestral brands.

But now the Liver King's reign as a premier fitness influencer is in jeopardy after he confessed to lying about taking steroids to enhance his jacked body.

Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC

"I lied, and I misled a lot of people," said Liver King, whose real name is Brian Johnson, in a somber YouTube video. "Yes, I've done steroids, and yes, I am on steroids."

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The Liver King's steroid use

Many skeptics, most notablyJoe Rogan, were skeptical that the 45-year-old Johnson wasn't taking performance-enhancing drugs. But Johnson repeatedly denied steroid use.

"I don't touch the stuff. I've never done the stuff. I'm not going to do the stuff," he said onMark Bell's Power Project podcast.

Instead, he pushed a narrative that his family (his wife is The Liver Queen) lived according to "nine ancestral tenants:" to eat, sleep, move, shine, connect, cold, sun, fight, and bond.

But last week, the Liver King's all-natural facade was exposed by another fitness YouTuberMore Plates More Dates, who showed leaked emails from Johnson admitting to taking multiple steroids and asking a dealer to sell him even more. The video also included Johnson's blood test, which proved steroid use.

Why the Liver King lied

Sitting shirtless on a leather throne, the normally braggadocious Johnson humbly confessed to lying about his steroid use in an apology video. "I am as sorry as a man can be," he said.

He admitted to taking 120 mg of testosterone per week but denied other rumors, such as getting ab implants or plastic surgery.

Johnson blamed his steroid use on his insecurity.

"When I talk about the 85 percent of the population that suffers from self-esteem issues, that's me. I'm part of that statistic. This is why I f--ng work myself to death in the gym. This is why I do 12 to 15 blood-burning workouts a week, just to feel like I'm okay," he said. "And hormone replacement has helped in a profound and significant way."

Will The Liver King be dethroned? The fate of his empire is unclear, and Johnson isn't saying much about his future moves.

"All I can do is take extreme ownership right now, be better, and lead myself to a better life as a better human," he told his millions of followers.

Wavy Line
Jonathan Small

Entrepreneur Staff

Editor in Chief of Green Entrepreneur

Jonathan Small is editor-in-chief ofGreen Entrepreneur, a vertical from Entrepreneur Media focused on the intersection of sustainability and business. He is also an award-winning journalist, producer, and podcast host of the upcoming True Crime series, Dirty Money, andWrite About Nowpodcasts. Jonathan is the founder ofStrike Fire Productions, a premium podcast production company. He had held editing positions atGlamour,Stuff,Fitness, andTwistMagazines. His stories have appeared inThe New York Times, TV Guide,Cosmo,Details, andGood Housekeeping. Previously, Jonathan served as VP of Content for the GSN (the Game Show Network), where he produced original digital video series.

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