Liver King: How Healthy Is the Influencers’ Diet? An Expert Weighs In

Brian Johnson, better known as the “Liver King”, spent years devouring raw organs and preaching a primal way of life to millions of followers online.

His lifestyle, centered on the “ancestral diet,” promised strength, masculinity and peak physical performance. But behind the scenes Johnson, 47, was taking $11,000 worth of anabolic steroids each month—a revelation that has prompted health experts to warn the public against emulating him.

How Safe Is the Liver King’s Diet?

The Liver King’s diet—which is primarily bone marrow, fertilized eggs, liver, raw meats and testicles—has become a model for some internet subcultures obsessed with primal living.

Still, nutrition experts have expressed concern about viral figures like Johnson promoting extreme trends, under the guise of healthy living, while secretly taking performance-enhancing drugs.

Registered dietitian nutritionist Shelley Balls told Newsweek that there are both benefits and drawbacks to Johnson’s diet.

“Brian’s intake of raw meat consumption paired with whole, unprocessed foods can provide an abundance of protein, dietary fiber, vitamins and minerals that can promote overall health,” she explained.

“However, while eating raw meat provides significantly greater amounts of creatine, it comes with the cost of potentially getting multiple foodborne illnesses and parasites.”

Balls, who holds degrees in dietetics and nutrition science, warned that there are dangers in the Liver King’s habits that go beyond pathogens.

“Liver is particularly high in vitamin A, which is a fat-soluble vitamin important for supporting your immune function, vision, and cells,” she said.

“I’m not sure how often Brian consumes liver, but since it’s higher in vitamin A and vitamin A is stored in the body, excess intake could lead to a toxicity.”

Chronic vitamin A toxicity, she noted, can cause liver damage, dry skin, hair loss and vision changes, as well as both bone and joint pain.

Johnson’s Return to Public Attention

The Netflix documentary Untold: The Liver King, which landed on the streaming platform on May 13, pulls back the curtain on Johnson’s rise from supplement hawker to internet icon—and the impact of the steroid scandal.

The film has thrust Johnson’s unusual lifestyle back into the limelight, where it has since been debated by commentators, nutrition experts and viewers alike.

The film chronicles his meteoric rise by posting videos of himself dragging SUVs, walking underwater with kettlebells, and bench-pressing his wife “Liver Queen.” All of these stunts helped cement brand, which encouraged his most loyal followers—dubbed “Primals”—to embrace his nine “Ancestral Tenets” through raw meat, extreme workouts and shirtless posing.

The physique that made Johnson famous—bulging, vascular, and permanently flushed—was framed as the outcome of his carnivorous discipline.

The truth, uncovered by YouTuber Derek Munro, proved far less aspirational; an email leak in 2022 revealed that Johnson was on a cocktail of performance-enhancing drugs costing $11,000 per month. After repeatedly denying steroid use, Johnson issued a public apology via his own social media channels. Despite the fallout, Johnson’s brand has not entirely collapsed.

He still has over two million followers on Instagram alone, and although his credibility was tainted, his influence endures in online masculinity and wellness circles.

Despite some dietary cause for concern, Balls did praise the inclusion of whole foods and the exclusion of added sugars and sodium from Johnson’s regimen. However, she criticized the absence of healthy fats like those from fish, walnuts, and olive oil in his diet.

“These are essential in promoting overall health and longevity,” she said.

The Carnivore Diet

The normalization of raw organ consumption, especially for young audiences, raises ethical questions. While the diet might be rich in certain nutrients, experts stress that there are far safer ways to obtain these benefits.

“Most individuals choose to supplement with creatine because it is a safer option than eating raw meats, but still provides the physical and cognitive benefits,” Balls explained.

The carnivore diet, once a fringe curiosity, has gained traction among social media users thanks in part to personalities like Liver King—but its popularity has proven polarizing.

Followers of the diet only eat meat, poultry, eggs, seafood, fish, some dairy products, and water.

Advocates tout its simplicity and nutrient density; critics argue that it is nutritionally unbalanced and potentially dangerous.

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