celebrity

Sarah thought she was in a relationship with Andrew Huberman. Then she joined a group text.

Neuroscience wellness is a subculture dominating group chats and online spaces, all thanks to one individual who has cemented himself as a 'guru' in this space: Andrew Huberman.

The neuroscientist, who came to popularity via Joe Rogan, has established a platform and alpha relevance with his podcast Huberman Lab

He's rugged, intelligent and dominant; and is all about optimising everything. And men and women alike can't get enough of it. 

But this week, Huberman is in the spotlight for all the wrong reasons, with a new tell-all profile suggesting he isn't as much of a 'good guy' as people may have believed.

Watch: Andrew Huberman on his morning routine. Post continues below.


Video via YouTube.

Who is Andrew Huberman?

For context, Huberman is a 48-year-old associate professor of neurology and ophthalmology at the Stanford University School of Medicine. 

Simply put, he's a neuroscientist who gained fame for his lectures, podcast and his growing social audience on platforms such as Instagram, YouTube, TikTok and more. 

The Huberman Lab podcast is considered the world's number one health podcast, not to mention it's one of the most popular on the global charts overall. The content is high-brow and science-driven but in a cool, somewhat digestible way —there are episodes on improving productivity, optimising morning routines and the risks and benefits of ketamine. 

ADVERTISEMENT

He's anti-sugar, thinks we should all 'sun ourselves without UV protection' for 10 minutes every morning, and is all about bio-hacking, which in layperson's terms is customising one's diet, exercise and wellness routine to optimise cellular performance. Yep, you read that right. 

He uses big words — phrases that non-medical people then feel confident to adopt in their everyday lingo. Think dopamine, neuromodulators and classical neurotransmitters.

@hubermanlab What Are Habits? #hubermanlab #andrewhuberman #science #habits #podcast ♬ original sound - Andrew Huberman

The obsession with Andrew Huberman online.

The allure of Huberman is that he reaches such a wide audience. Men love him. They feel smarter and cooler when they listen to his podcasts. Huberman also has a sizeable female audience, with many of his fans saying it's Huberman's charisma and knowledge that has hooked them in.

As one fellow neuroscientist told Time magazine last year about Huberman: "He's kind of a rock star in our field."

Perhaps The Guardian described it best when they said Huberman is a "neuroscience bro".

Essentially, he's considered a guru by many — and a guru that is actually scientifically qualified, unlike other male podcasters like Jay Shetty and Joe Rogan. But that doesn't mean Huberman isn't immune to controversy.

Why everyone is talking about Andrew Huberman right now. 

In a profile in New York Magazine this week, there were particular claims made about Huberman's dating life.

ADVERTISEMENT

The magazine spoke to *Sarah, who said she was in a relationship with Huberman from 2018 to late 2023. They reportedly met on Instagram, and Sarah said she believed they were monogamous together, so she was comfortable having unprotected sex with him. 

She also alleged he had anger issues.

"I experienced his rage as two to three days of yelling in a row. When he was in this state, he would go on until 11 or 12 at night and sometimes start again at two or three in the morning."

Sarah said they wanted to have kids together and decided to embark on an IVF journey. During this period though Sarah said she felt insecure in the relationship, concerned there was infidelity on Huberman's part. While injecting herself with hormones and going through a round of IVF, Sarah said she discovered Huberman was cheating on her.

She had found a text on his phone to another woman that read: "Your feelings matter. I'm actually very much a caretaker. I'm back on grid tomorrow and would love to see you this weekend."

The profile alleges that Huberman was engaged in a sexual relationship with five women, all at the same time, without any of them knowing. They discovered the alleged infidelity on Huberman's part by putting together the puzzle pieces and creating a joint group chat together. 

One of the women alleged: "He told me that what he wanted was a woman who was submissive, who he could slap in the ass in public, and who would be crawling on the floor for him when he got home."

ADVERTISEMENT

In 2021, Sarah tested positive for a high-risk form of HPV, the most common sexually transmitted infection. It's often linked to cervical cancer. 

"There's so much pain," Sarah told the magazine about the emotional impact she and the four other women have endured. 

"Feeling we had made mistakes. We hadn't been enough. We hadn't been communicating. By making these other women into the other, I hadn't really given space for their hurt. And let it sink in with me that it was so similar to my own hurt."

How has Andrew Huberman reacted to the New York Magazine profile?

Huberman's spokesperson said in a statement to the magazine that he did not become exclusive with Sarah until late 2021. He also denied that he and Sarah decided to have children together, saying instead they "decided to create embryos by IVF". 

Huberman also said he has never tested positive for HPV. Though there is currently no approved screening test for HPV in men.

It appears that a lot of male podcasters who have been placed on a pedestal by their fans are now getting a reality check from the wider mainstream media. But as for whether or not the controversy will stick... it's unlikely. Just look at the continual relevance of Joe Rogan.

That's the beauty of being a man in the industry — though the shiny allure fades, it usually only does so slightly. 

*Sarah's name was changed for privacy reasons in the New York Magazine profile.

Feature Image: @hubermanlab.