The Liver King, also known as Brian Johnson, is an internet personality and fitness influencer. He’s best known for promoting the ancestral human diet and lifestyle, sporting long hair and a gruff voice, and often ingesting raw meat and liver on camera.
This approach of his has attracted both awe and controversy among his watches. This post closely examines his net worth, lifestyle, and how he made his fortune.
What Is the Liver King’s Net Worth?
According to his official website, the Liver King’s Net worth is $310,000,000. Many arguments surround the legitimacy of this whopping number, as it’s a growing trend among influencers and fitness trainers to boast about their income as a way of giving more authority to their brand.
This number is likely a largely inflated estimate. Public information about his businesses and properties, including real estate supplement startups, it’s estimated that his net worth is closer to $12 million.
It may not be as gigantic as his self-proclaimed 9-figure mark, but it’s still a fortune nevertheless.
Early Life
Until Johnson became an internet figure, not much was known about him. He also didn’t talk much about his past, which puts his background story in the dark.
He was born in the 1970s, specifically between 1976 and 1977, in San Diego, California. Growing up in Southern California, he attended the University of California, San Diego where he graduated with a bachelor’s degree in biology. He also played college football as a linebacker for the UC San Diego Tritons.
Soon after graduating from college, he went into medical device sales, where he worked for several companies selling surgical equipment. Unfulfilled by the path his life was taking him, he left the corporate sales environment and decided to find his passion career in health and fitness.
Brand Establishment and Development
Around 2014, the Liver King started posting fitness and nutrition content on Instagram and YouTube. He adopted the persona of the Liver King – a prehistoric hunter/gatherer who ate only meat, organs, and raw animal foods.
The idea of chomping on raw liver while shirtless was unheard of at the time, causing his videos to go viral. He was also built like a tank, reaching a physique that’s unlikely to be achievable without using steroids. He claimed that the primal, ancestral lifestyle led to optimal health and athletic performance.
Nobody else was feasting on raw meat at the time, which led many of his followers to genuinely believe that raw food can actually help reach a massive physique without using steroids.
Soon after, he established his brand by partnering with nutrition and fitness companies. Eventually, he created his own supplement line called Ancestral Supplements, which contained desiccated organ pills and bone marrow powder.
Through his website, he also sells tallow, bone broth, liver powder, and grass-fed meat.
Income Sources
As of 2024, here are the main sources of the Liver King’s income:
Social Media Monetization
With over 2.3 million followers on Instagram, 5.3 million followers on TikTok, and 300,000+ YouTube subscribers, the Liver King generates handsome revenue from ads, sponsorships, and partnerships. The precise numbers may vary, but influencers with this size may earn between $5,000-$10,000 per sponsored post.
The Ancestral Supplements Company
His line of products retails for $50-$150 per bottle depending on the product. As the owner of the company, he takes the biggest share.
Online Training Programs
The Liver King offers multiple paid online nutrition and training programs, such as the Ancestral Athlete and Primal Fitness programs. Both cost around $200-$300 to join. He likely keeps at least 50% of the profits.
Affiliate Marketing
Johnson earns a decent income through affiliate marketing commissions by promoting fitness equipment, supplements, and various food products. He may earn 5-15% on each referred sale.
Public Appearances
Social media influencers can earn thousands of dollars for appearing publicly, especially if they have this many followers. Such appearances may include speaking engagements and brand collaborations.
As you can see, the Liver King does have various sources of income, but they’re unlikely to add up to that gigantic $310,000,000 proclaimed wealth.
Controversy and Criticisms
Despite his initial popularity, the Liver King’s diet and lifestyle have drawn some significant criticism from medical experts, dietitians, and skeptics.
The primary reason is the safety of the raw meat diet. Eating raw or undercooked meat has a risk of blood poisoning and microbial infections. The cooking process kills most bacteria, viruses, and other pathogens present in food.
As such, nutritional experts and health care professionals recommend against following his extreme raw meat diet.
Also, despite claiming that he doesn’t take steroids, he still takes a considerable amount of synthetic supplements, which doesn’t hold well with his claim of ancestral lifestyle.
Many critics also say that his nutritional claims are exaggerated or misleading, such as the idea that prehistoric humans solely ate meat and organs.
Last but not least, his constant denial of taking steroids despite his monstrous physique has always been controversial. It seems almost impossible for the human body to reach a bulkiness like his without taking steroids, even if monitored or limited.
Lying and Apologizing
In December 2022, the Liver King uploaded a video on YouTube titled: “Liver King Confession… I Lied.” In that video, he admitted using steroids and other performance-enhancing drugs after months of denying allegations of steroid use.
He stated that he began taking steroids in his late 20s and early 30s as a shortcut to build muscles and gain followers quickly. His reasoning was that he had to play the social media game to gain followers.
What made the situation worse was that such an apology didn’t come out of a good heart; it was more like damage limitation after a fitness trainer uploaded a video exposing Johnson’s private emails that describe his steroid regimen.
While expected, this news didn’t hold too well with his followers, causing him to lose over 100,000 followers on Instagram and over 50,000 on TikTok.
Critics blasted the Liver King for misleading his followers, especially younger men who looked up to him. His brand was dealt a massive blow since it was heavily marketed around the idea that all his gains are natural and ancestral.
Final Words
Even with the controversy, misleading, and lost followers, the Liver King remains one of the most successful fitness influencers. Despite losing many followers, he still has enough to generate a fortune; just not enough to have a $310,000,000 net worth.
As of 2024, he has over 7.5 million followers across his social media platforms, and the number is still rising. His brand is also still alive and kicking despite the misleading incident. While he may have lost a lot of credibility, he’s still more than fine financially-wise.
