Do Not Live Like a (Liver) King

If Johnson actually acted like a caveman, his life would improve dramatically

Brian Johnson is not well, and his online activity gives me serious pause to consider whether or not this whole “social media” invention was in fact, a mistake. I know that sounds a bit dramatic, but if you’ll consider some source material, perhaps you’ll understand my perspective.

If you are fortunate enough to be unfamiliar with the story and public image of Brian Johnson, here is a quick primer. Brian Johnson is the health and wellness influencer behind the personal brand labeled “The Liver King”, and presents as a bearded, over-bearing, demi-brute who built an online empire around what he calls “the ancestral lifestyle”.

None of what follows here should be construed as an invested deconstruction of Johnson’s life and teachings, nor is it an attempt to derive meaning from his motives or character. Altogether, I’ve probably devoted only two hours of my life to watching or reading his content. These are simply casual observations and comments from someone who works in the field of evidence-based health advice.

Speaking of advice, what a great place to start. Personally, I have a deep love for scientific communication; taking complex and contextually-dependent science, and repackaging it as useable and practical material for consumers. But if I was faced with either exile or fact-check Johnson’s content, I would immediately turn to my accusers and request 30 minutes to pack my things.

Decoding and communicating Johnson’s content is not a challenge of absurdity (there’s plenty of that), nor is it one of nuance (there’s very little of that). It is simply this.

Majority of the time, I don’t understand what this man is trying to say or what he believes.

He sells crap, he talks (or grunts) into a camera, and loosely connects it all to his “ancestral lifestyle.” This, claims Johnson, is a caveman-inspired way of living built on nine tenets that are: sleep, eat, shield, move, connect, cold, sun, bond, and fight. Attempting to fact check Johnson would probably be a bit like shoveling sand on the beach, into its adjacent ocean. Time-intensive and laborious for certain, but with no clear purpose. The man just talks; about himself, about his products, about his “ancestral lifestyle”, and the tenets he makes soundbites for.

What does any of that mean? Don’t know.

How is a general description of general human activities supposed to offer sage insight on the state of the human condition? Don’t know.

So why do people watch this? That’s a fairly simple answer. It’s entertaining. A short while ago I was sitting in a lobby with a few dietitian friends, and somehow, Johnson’s brand came up. At his name, one of my friends bemoaned the state of affairs that allows a person like Johnson to accrue such a following. Why, she asked, do so many people watch a person like this for information about their health? I offered that it’s not about information, it’s just spectacle.

Unintended or not, Johnson’s entire brand is entertainment. Not facts, not health, not even lifestyle. Majority of people who follow his socials do so for the same reason that people would tune in to watch MTV’s “Jackass”. Personal spectacle is fun to watch. A man cosplaying as a caveman (heavy emphasis on the word “cosplay”) who also looks like a GI Joe action figure, makes that all the more alluring.

And that allure is fortunate for Johnson, as there’s hardly a self-proclaimed alpha-male out there more starved for public attention and validation. Ironic. But it’s a fact. You don’t sit down to consume a bowl of cream and raw organ meat because you enjoy it. You do that because people will watch it with the same macabre anticipation as when Steve-O snorts a line of wasabi powder. I remember watching a video posted years ago, where Johnson was standing in a kitchen and talking about the foods he eats. Naturally (… naturally), one of these foods was a raw bull testicle. With clear reluctance etched on his, he bit into the organ, chewing with all the enthusiasm of a teenager having his license taken away. At one point, he quickly looks off camera at someone, snorts, and takes another bite. Brand manager giving orders, or on-set aides flashing thumbs-up of encouragement? You decide.

And now, we find ourselves in the era of Johnson’s rebrand. You see, in 2022, emails were leaked sharing Johnson’s correspondence which confirmed his expensive habit of using performance-enhancing drugs. That was somewhat out-of-tune with Johnson’s all-natural caveman persona. Johnson posted an apology, but it seemed a fairly short time thereafter that he again began posting content, later releasing a Netflix documentary. Regarding that documentary, high marks to the producers for attempting to spin Johnson as a contrite prodigal, but, you simply see too much of the same behavior.

However, I don’t think the rebrand is going quite so well given Johnson’s recent arrest after challenging Joe Rogan (Yes, that Joe Rogan) to a fight:

Joe Rogan, I’m calling you out. My name’s Liver King. Man to man, I’m picking a fight with you… 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.

It’s worth pointing out that Johnson issues this challenge shirtless… he’s always shirtless, wearing a fur headdress and wielding two gold plated rifles. Understandably, Rogan called the cops when Johnson arrived in Austin, the latter being promptly arrested by police in his hotel room.

Go watch that video. Watch how Johnson acts, interacts with his family, addresses the police, demands the cameras keep rolling. I watch that and come away with one conclusion.

Brian Johnson is not well. All of this *gesturing broadly* is abnormal human behavior.

Johnson seems less a man who influences, more a man absolutely captured by the need to put his life on display, for no major end other than attention. A manufactured sense of self, propped by an artificial lodestar of purpose. It is pitiful, and I fear there is still plenty of Earth between Johnson and some big, impenetrable rock. The best thing anyone close to Johnson could do for him would be to take his phone away, delete his socials, and encourage a life hidden away from the public.

It's a poetic twist of circumstance, but if Johnson actually acted like a caveman, his life would improve dramatically.