Joe Rogan told police he thought fitness influencer “Liver King” was “significantly unstable” shortly before they arrested him for making threats against the podcaster, according to a report.
The influencer, real name Brian Johnson, traveled from Willis, Texas, to Austin—where Rogan lives and records his podcast—and challenged Rogan to a fight on social media, TMZ reports. The outlet cited legal documents saying that Rogan had told police that he interpreted Johnson’s posts as threatening, leading to Johnson’s arrest on a charge of making a terroristic threat.
Law enforcement said Rogan told them he’d never had any contact with Johnson and had no idea why Johnson was “targeting him,” adding that he believed the influencer “appears to be significantly unstable and seems like he needs help,” according to TMZ. Rogan also informed police he’d been told Johnson “has a significant drug issue.”
Johnson was the subject of the Netflix documentary Untold: The Liver King released earlier this year. It covers his rise as a fitness influencer—pedaling an “ancestral” diet of raw meat and products from his multimillion-dollar supplements company—to revelations that he’d been spending $11,000 a month on steroids and human growth hormone (HGH). Johnson admitted he’d “lied and misled a lot of people.”
Johnson was arrested at the Four Seasons hotel in Austin on Tuesday after his rants about Rogan. He was later released on a $20,000 bond and ordered to take a mental health evaluation within a week of release.
“Joe Rogan, I’m calling you out, my name’s Liver King. Man to man, I’m picking a fight with you,” a shirtless Johnson posted on Tuesday while wearing a wolf pelt. “I have no training in jiu-jitsu, you’re a black belt, you should dismantle me. But I’m picking a fight with you. Your rules, I’ll come to you, whenever you’re ready.”
Shortly afterwards, he posted another video in which he demanded Rogan fight him “man to man” while proclaiming he has “a family to fight for.”
Following his release, Johnson posted another video in which he appeared to address Rogan again, whom he referred to as “some guy” who “put him in jail” and said the videos “won’t ever stop.”
Rogan has yet to respond to Johnson’s latest outburst.
