Overview

Liver King Arrested for Terroristic Threat to Joe Rogan refers to the arrest of fitness influencer and content creator Liver King on a charge of making an alleged "terroristic threat" toward podcaster and comedian Joe Rogan in a series of videos posted to his social media days prior. Liver King, real name Brian Johnson, was arrested outside a hotel in Austin, Texas, on June 24th, 2025, by the Austin Police Department. Two days earlier, he had been posting videos challenging Joe Rogan to a fight on his Instagram page, concerning some fans over his health and well-being. In one video, he confirmed he was traveling to Austin with his family for the unscheduled fight. Liver King's arrest was documented in a series of videos posted to his Instagram page as it was happening. Liver King's videos about Rogan and his mugshot went viral on social media following his arrest.

Background

Liver King's Joe Rogan Callout Videos

On June 22nd, 2025, Liver King posted a series of videos to his Instagram^[1][2][3] page in which he challenges Joe Rogan to a fight. In the third video posted, he claims that he will be travelling to Austin, Texas, where Rogan lives, with his family, to fight Rogan.

That day, X^[4] user @graveyworld posted two of the videos, writing, "Has anyone seen Liver King schizo posting about Joe Rogan this weekend? No? Just me?" garnering over 2,900 likes in three days.

On June 23rd, Liver King posted another video to Instagram^[5] calling out Joe Rogan for a fight. In the video, he is seen wearing a wolf headdress and holding two guns.

During the clip, he says that he's "calling" Rogan out, that he's "picking a fight" with him and that Rogan should be able to "dismantle him easily." He offers to cut weight and do whatever is needed to become a suitable opponent. The video gained over 2.5 million views in two days.

Developments

Arrest

On June 24th, 2025, conspiracy theorist and podcaster Alex Jones reported a "breaking exclusive" from an anonymous source, reporting that Liver King was being arrested that day for making terroristic threats toward Joe Rogan.

The clip of Jones making the claim was reposted by X^[13] user @triffic_stuff_ that morning, garnering over 11,000 likes in a day.

Also on June 24th, Liver King posted three videos to Instagram^[6][7][8] documenting his arrest by Austin police, garnering over 4.5 million views collectively in a day.

In the first few videos, Liver King is seen preparing to meet the police, including hugging his family before he goes outside. In one of the videos, he tells the person operating the camera to deliver a container with Rogan's podcast logo on it to Rogan's club, the Comedy Mothership. He is also seen holding an ammo canister at one point.

In the third video, Liver King is seen being arrested outside his hotel in Austin. The arrest details were made available on the Travis County Sheriff's Office^[9] website that day, claiming his bond was set at $20,000 and that he was arrested on a "terroristic threat" charge.

The arrest was reported on June 24th, 2025, by the media, with outlets like the New York Post^[10] linking the threat to the Joe Rogan videos.

On June 25th, The Independent^[11] reported on the arrest. The report includes confirmation from a representative of the Austin Police Department that the arrest was made due to the videos about Rogan. According to the report, the police told The Independent:

Detectives contacted Mr. Rogan, who stated he had never had any interaction with Johnson and considered the posts to be threatening. Based on this information, detectives obtained an arrest warrant for Johnson on a charge of Terroristic Threat.

Mugshot

On June 25th, 2025, Liver King's mugshot was released to the public. The mugshot was shared by numerous media outlets that day, including CBS Austin.^[12]

Online Reactions

The Liver King's arrest inspired numerous memes and reactions online as it spread across social media in late June 2025.

For instance, on June 24th, 2025, TikToker^[14] and news reporter @bri.hollis posted a video discussing the arrest, garnering over 720,000 views in a day.

On June 25th, X^[15] user @hayasaka_aryan posted Liver King's mugshot, writing, "They arrested Liver King over wanting to kill Joe Rogan," garnering over 1,200 likes in under a day.

Also on June 25th, 2025, Redditor Slickity posted an edit of the Succulent Chinese Meal meme with Liver King's mugshot to the /r/dankmemes^[16] subreddit, receiving over 4,300 upvotes and 100 comments in 18 hours.

Search Interest

External References