The Liver King – A Stomach-Churning Dive into the Raw Truth
There are few stories that embody the phrase “Only in America” as thoroughly as that of Brian Johnson, better known to the internet masses as “The Liver King.” While many cultural phenomena blur the lines between health fads and personal branding, none have done so with quite the same level of grotesque commitment—or controversy—as Johnson’s primal pursuit of ancestral living.
Netflix’s documentary Untold: The Liver King is not just an exposé of one man’s strange lifestyle; it is a fascinating, if often nauseating, deep dive into the psyche of a self-made health guru whose brand was built on raw meat, shredded abs, and a disturbingly performative masculinity. But beneath the brawn and bravado lies a story of deception, desperation, and the ever-growing demand for spectacle in the social media age.
The Rise of the King of Organs
Brian Johnson’s early life in Texas could have made for a fairly standard American tale—one marked by hardship, insecurity, and the longing for approval. Losing his father at a young age, Johnson spent much of his youth in the shadow of an accomplished older brother, always seeking ways to prove himself. His outlet came in the form of bodybuilding, inspired by the muscle-bound heroes of the ‘80s like Arnold Schwarzenegger and Sylvester Stallone. For Johnson, these icons weren’t just action stars—they were templates. Templates for a more powerful, admired version of himself. A king, even.
But it wasn’t until years later that Brian Johnson would fully reinvent himself as The Liver King, a persona defined by extreme devotion to “ancestral living.” The diet? Primarily raw meat—specifically nutrient-dense organs like liver, heart, bone marrow, and famously, testicles. The lifestyle? Guided by his self-developed “Nine Ancestral Tenets,” which preach practices such as intense exercise, cold exposure, sunbathing, walking barefoot, avoiding electronics, and of course, eating raw organs to reconnect with human evolution.
As wild as it sounds, the Liver King brand found an audience—and a large one at that. Through relentless social media content, featuring Johnson gnawing on raw meat and preaching primal wisdom while flexing shirtless, the Liver King carved out a niche as both a health influencer and a walking meme. His supplement business, based on his principles, flourished, targeting those who believed modern life had made them soft, sick, and spiritually lost.
The Raw Appeal—and Repulsion—of a Social Media Phenomenon
The documentary wastes no time throwing viewers into the bizarre world Johnson created. Whether it’s clips of him chewing raw bull testicles or dragging weighted sleds shirtless through dirt, Untold: The Liver King spares little in showing the visceral imagery that propelled him to viral fame. If you have a weak stomach, consider yourself warned. Even seasoned meat eaters may struggle to watch an hour of unfiltered consumption, especially when it’s paired with sermon-like declarations about how “modern man” has lost his way.
In this sense, the documentary works as both a profile of Johnson and a commentary on the algorithm-driven world that rewards extremism. There’s an undeniable fascination with people like Liver King—those who are willing to live so far outside the bounds of conventional behavior that they become living caricatures. Johnson doesn’t just sell liver; he sells an identity—one rooted in discipline, strength, and rejection of modernity.
But while his antics are often absurd, the underlying motivations are more complex. Johnson’s entry into ancestral living, as the film reveals, was sparked by genuine fear. His two young sons, born with severe food allergies and frequently hospitalized, drove him to seek unconventional solutions. He turned to radical health philosophies and claimed that through diet and lifestyle changes—primarily the raw meat diet—his children’s conditions improved. Whether or not these claims are scientifically sound is left open to debate, but for Johnson, they became the foundation for his new life mission.
From Influencer to Icon—and Then, the Crash
The Liver King’s meteoric rise was not purely organic. It was carefully orchestrated with help from marketing professionals like John Hyland of 1DS Collective. Through polished branding, viral content strategies, and constant social media engagement, Johnson transformed from a relatively unknown bodybuilder into a household name among fitness circles and fringe health communities.
But with fame comes scrutiny.
As Liver King’s platform grew, so did the skepticism. Detractors began questioning the authenticity of his message—particularly the source of his impossibly muscular physique. Could raw meat and primal workouts really produce such dramatic results? Or was there a darker, more chemically enhanced truth hiding beneath the surface?
Johnson, for his part, doubled down on his natural claims. He denied steroid use repeatedly and vocally, insisting his transformation was due to the ancestral lifestyle alone. He positioned himself as a role model for those who felt failed by modern medicine and processed food. But the house of cards began to wobble when emails and documents surfaced revealing extensive use of performance-enhancing drugs, including human growth hormone (HGH) and various anabolic steroids.
The revelations were damning, but not entirely surprising. In Untold, the moment of exposure hits like a punch to the gut. Viewers see not only the public fallout but Johnson’s private admission—he had indeed been using steroids throughout his rise. The confession is delivered with a mix of shame and spin, as Johnson attempts to reframe the narrative. Yes, he lied. But, he suggests, he did it for a higher purpose: to spread his message and build a platform capable of making real change.
The Cracks in the Persona
Johnson’s admission prompts a shift in the documentary’s tone. No longer just a portrait of a wild influencer, it becomes a study in disillusionment. Viewers are left to grapple with questions of authenticity, responsibility, and the ethics of personal branding. What happens when the figurehead of a health movement turns out to be dishonest? Can any of the benefits he preaches still be taken seriously?
Ben Johnson, the CEO of Johnson’s supplements holding company, emerges as a key voice of dissent. His reflections are among the most insightful in the film. He wonders aloud about the cost of their “reckless relationship with the truth”—not just for the business, but for society at large. In a world increasingly driven by curated personas and algorithmic fame, how much are we willing to tolerate for entertainment or motivation?
Unfortunately, the documentary doesn’t delve too deeply into the broader implications of Johnson’s deception. While it touches on his past—his early entrepreneurial ventures, including a casual admission to international drug trading—it largely focuses on the spectacle of his rise and fall. Viewers are left to infer the wider cultural lessons, even as the film lingers on shots of organ meat and testosterone-fueled workouts.
Post-Fall Reflections—A Changed Man?
In the documentary’s final act, Johnson presents himself as a man humbled. He says he now includes vegetables in his diet. He admits that he may have taken his persona too far. He expresses regret, guilt, and a desire for atonement—words that sound sincere enough, even if they don’t come with any tangible signs of change.
“I love the man I am now,” he declares, in a moment that feels both cathartic and calculated. Whether viewers believe him is another matter entirely.
There’s something undeniably tragic about Johnson’s journey—not just because of the lies, but because of what they represent. In his quest to be a hero, a provider, a king, Johnson became a product of the very culture he claimed to reject. A culture obsessed with performance, appearances, and virality. The Liver King persona was built to inspire, but it was also built to sell. And like so many influencers before him, Johnson ultimately became a prisoner of his own brand.
Final Thoughts – A Tale of Meat, Muscle, and Media
Untold: The Liver King is not an easy watch. It’s filled with uncomfortable imagery, toxic masculinity, and the kinds of marketing tactics that would make a used-car salesman blush. But it’s also a strangely compelling character study of a man who tried to live out his own mythology—and succeeded, until the truth got in the way.
What makes the documentary powerful is not just its subject, but what that subject reveals about us. Our hunger for authenticity in a world saturated with filters and falsehoods. Our willingness to believe in shortcuts, even when we know better. Our obsession with self-improvement, no matter the cost.
If you come for entertainment, you’ll find it—though you might lose your appetite in the process. If you come for insight, you’ll leave with questions. And if you come for a cautionary tale, you’ll find one wrapped in beef liver and testosterone injections.
The Liver King’s reign may be over, but his story is a potent reminder of the strange, often grotesque extremes people will go to for fame, fortune, and validation in the age of digital spectacle.
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