Brian Johnson, better known as the organ-devouring masculinity influencer “Liver King,” has admitted to steroid use in a somber video shared on his YouTube and Instagram accounts.

The pained statement comes in response to a video from another bodybuilder, Derek of the online fitness brand “More Plates More Dates,” that purported to show emails in which Johnson described his steroid regimen — a suite of injections costing some $11,000 per month.

Since launching the Liver King persona in August of 2021, Johnson had given several interviews during which he categorically denied using performance-enhancing drugs to achieve his muscular physique.

But in just three days, the hour-long “More Plates More Dates” exposé garnered 3 million views, with many in the fitness community saying it confirmed their suspicions about Johnson.

“I’m here now to set the record straight,” Johnson says in his new video, then sighs heavily.

Liver King, the public figure, was an experiment to spread the message.” He went on to mention the social ills of suicide, depression and anxiety, adding: “Our young men are hurting the most.” He said that when he talks about low self-esteem, he’s talking about himself.

Johnson explained that he was already wealthy, and his supplements business a success, before he adopted the guise of the Liver King for social media.

Johnson claimed he never expected Liver King to become a viral sensation — contradicting an alleged email included in the “More Plates More Dates” video where he appeared to lay out a plan for gaining a million social media followers in a matter of months.

A post shared by Liver King (@liverking).

So, although Johnson referred to Liver King in the past tense, expect him to live on, hyping both “ancestral” tenets and the miraculous effects of human growth hormone