Viewers of the new Netflix documentary, Untold: The Liver King, will be familiar with the age-old adage: what use is a Liver King without his Liver Queen?
The programme takes a deep-dive into the lives of 'ancestral living' influencers, Liver King (Brian Johnson) and his wife, Liver Queen (Barbara Johnson, known as Bozena prior to moving to the US). It charts the Liver King's rise to online fame, thanks to his unique raw meat diet... and a subsequent steroids scandal that saw his reputation as an all-natural health and lifestyle guru crumble.
It's due to said scandal that some have bristled at the new Netflix documentary, with viewers commenting underneath the official trailer expressing their dismay that the Liver King has been given such a broad platform to speak out on, after having been exposed as fraudulent and having repeatedly lied about using steroids. Others have raised concerns that Liver King promotes an especially unrealistic, narrow and toxic view of masculinity, along with reinforcing outdated gender role stereotypes as the only 'true' way to have a successful relationship.
Critics point out that Liver King's fraud hits extra hard given that he built an apparently lucrative supplements business and strong following off the back of his primal lifestyle content, and call out the fact that his apology video tries to spin wanting to promote his lifestyle solely to help people struggling with poor mental health (whilst also reminding viewers of his wealth and status within the first 30 seconds).
Speaking on the Flagrant podcast in 2023, the Liver King admitted again that he had lied about steroid use and said he regretted his actions, but that he stands by his 'ancestral tenets' and the lifestyle he and the Liver Queen continue to promote. Said tenets of their primal way of living include cold exposure therapy, spending more time in nature and sunlight, spending time with loved ones, strength training and consuming raw unprocessed foods, namely... liver.
But who is the Liver Queen, how did she meet her husband and what was her life like before their family had a following? What has she said about the Netflix documentary? We recap here:
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Who is the Liver Queen, the Liver King's wife?
Now in her fifties, 'Liver Queen' was named Bozena when she was born in Hajnowka, a town in Poland, but later changed her name to Barbara after moving to the United States. On the Liver King website, it states: "[Barbara's] Dad first fled communist Poland, sleeping with cockroaches in Germany, striving to carve a way to get to America for a chance at a better life. After many years, it happened. The patriarch fought, forged, and led his family as first-generation Polish-Americans and set the tone and trajectory for Liver Queen's rise."
Liver Queen is the woman married to the so-called 'Liver King': Brian Johnson, a man who shot to fame thanks to his muscly physique which he initially claimed was down to adopting a 'primal lifestyle' packed with 'ancestral foods' including lots of liver. He built a large supplements business on the back of said claims (for those wanting similar gains... but unwilling or unable to eat raw animal parts).
It later transpired, however, thanks to a string of leaked emails, that the Liver King was consuming thousands of pounds worth of steroids each month too, in order to achieve his impressive physique, somewhat undermining his messaging. He later apologised, but the video wasn't entirely well received.
Prior to the 2022 scandal, the Liver King's shocking mantra of 'why eat vegetables when you can eat testicles?' no doubt helped to propel him into the public consciousness, and alongside the King's rise to fame was that of the Liver Queen's, who has also fully embraced the ancestral lifestyle and is big on promoting it via social media. Prior to social media, Liver Queen worked as a dentist and co-ran her own practice with her husband.
The Livers are also a parents to two sons, Rad and Stryker, who also appear in the documentary and on social media 'embracing' the family's unique way of living (although the Netflix documentary also flags that they've been visited by a child protection officer in the past).
Describing how the couple met on the Liver King website, the Liver King wrote that it was on a mountain: "Riding up a chairlift, the young Liver King spotted her [Liver Queen's] ponytails and a helmet from 50 yards away and did what any evolutionary hunter would do next… he took massive action, chased her down to the next lift line, invited her for a tour of the mountain (which he actually didn't know), and that was the first date."
He adds that they got engaged in Fiji two months later and a further two months on, they married in the West Indies.
What does Liver King's wife do for a living?
It'd appear that at one point the Liver Queen had (or still has) a beauty brand operation, Krowa, with the slogan 'Honoring Beauty From Within' – but the Instagram account for Krowa hasn't posted anything since September 2024. You can, however, still shop the natural range on the brand's website.
Prior to this, and to supporting her husband with his social media and supplements business endeavours, the Liver Queen is believed to have worked as a dentist and according to the Liver King, for a period of time was the main breadwinner for their family.
The pair later set up their own dental practice, before pivoting to influencing and building the supplements range.
According to the Liver King website, the couple are doing well financially post-steroids scandal: "[Liver Queen is] now the owner of Krowa Beauty, and, along with her husband, earns over a whopping $100m annually in combined business revenues." However, this figure does not appear to have been externally verified.
How did Liver Queen get into ancestral living?
According to the Krowa website, the Liver King and Queen's interest stemmed from their children, Rad and Stryker, having severe allergies. "Frequent hospital visits, and epi-pen shots was heart-wrenching, to say the least," Liver Queen says. "Conventional medicine failed miserably at finding and treating the root causes of their issues."
She adds that the "journey was challenging, but we stood strong in our commitment [...] after a short time of diligently following these time-honoured practices, a miraculous transformation unfolded before our eyes. Stryker and Rad experienced a revitalisation of their health, radiating newfound joy and vibrancy—a testament to the power of Ancestral Living."
Following this experience, they cut out processed foods and leant into living a more 'primal' lifestyle. When they started posting about it online, the interest quickly took off.
What has the Liver Queen said about the Netflix documentary?
So far, Liver Queen has posted the trailer for Untold: Liver King along with the date that it airs, seemingly encouraging her followers to tune in.
Jennifer Savin is Cosmopolitan UK's multiple award-winning Features Editor, who was crowned Digital Journalist of the Year for her work tackling the issues most important to young women. She regularly covers breaking news, cultural trends, health, the royals and more, using her esteemed connections to access the best experts along the way. She's grilled everyone from high-profile politicians to A-list celebrities, and has sensitively interviewed hundreds of people about their real life stories. In addition to this, Jennifer is widely known for her own undercover investigations and campaign work, which includes successfully petitioning the government for change around topics like abortion rights and image-based sexual abuse. Jennifer is also a published author, documentary consultant (helping to create BBC’s Deepfake Porn: Could You Be Next?) and a patron for Y.E.S. (a youth services charity). Alongside Cosmopolitan, Jennifer has written for The Times, Women’s Health, ELLE and numerous other publications, appeared on podcasts, and spoken on (and hosted) panels for the Women of the World Festival, the University of Manchester and more. In her spare time, Jennifer is a big fan of lipstick, leopard print and over-ordering at dinner. Follow Jennifer on Instagram, X or LinkedIn.
