Health
How Dare Bryan Johnson Walks Out Leaving Nikhil Kamath Hanging!!
Bryan Johnson recently made news by walking out of Nikhil Kamath’s podcast in Mumbai, citing the city’s toxic air as the culprit.
This is the walkout that got everyone talking! On the WTF Longevity podcast, hosted by Zerodha co-founder Nikhil Kamath, tech millionaire Bryan Johnson, known for his obsession with reversing ageing, abruptly left. The reason? Not tough questions, not lousy WiFi, but Mumbai’s air pollution. Despite sitting in a posh setting with air purifiers and wearing a mask, Johnson couldn’t handle the city’s toxic air and quit midway. His sudden exit has ignited a social media debate. Was it justified, or was there more to the story?
Bryan Johnson Leaving the Nikhil Kamath Podcast: What Exactly Happened
Johnson, known for his longevity experiments, had flown into India and was all set to discuss health, ageing, and longevity on Kamath’s WTF is Podcast. But what he wasn’t ready for? The air quality.
According to Bryan Johnson’s post on X, the issue was the air quality in the recording room. Despite bringing his air purifier, it was useless as the ventilation system circulated outdoor air. He claimed the indoor AQI was 130, with PM2.5 levels at 75 µg/m³—equal to smoking 3.4 cigarettes in 24 hours. Johnson developed a skin rash three days into his India trip, with burning eyes and throat.
What baffled him? No one else seemed to care. People jogged outdoors, babies breathed the same air, and masks were rare. He argued that India had normalised air pollution and claimed fixing it would have a bigger public health impact than curing all cancers. He even hinted at “money and power” preventing real change.
After Johnson’s walking out of the podcast became social media knowledge, Bryan Johnson took to X and cleared his stance.
Bryan Johnson Balancing Act?
After citing air pollution, walking out of a podcast in Mumbai, and singling out the air pollution in India, Bryan, in the same X post, talked about obesity in America and why it should be declared a national emergency. How, in the long run, obesity surpasses air pollution in severity. One cannot help but wonder if Bryan brought in obesity in America while discussing air pollution in India to maintain a balance.
Also Read: Ashneer Grover vs Salman Khan: A Masterclass on X in Staying Relevant?
The Internet Has Opinions! A Lots of Them
As expected, social media erupted. Some mocked Johnson, one advised him to increase his immunity. “Bro, just chill out. Stop measuring air quality everywhere you go,” one user wrote. Others pointed out that if the air were truly that toxic, “every Indian would have died by 30.”
But some agreed with him. They felt his points were valid and that the elephant in the room needed to be addressed. Another user commented, “Thank God you didn’t visit Delhi!” hinting that Delhi could have been the real shocker.
MP and President of the Mumbai Regional Congress Committee, Prof. Varsha Eknath Gaikwad, also tweeted, reacting to the podcast, that a long-term air pollution mitigation policy is needed.
A Different Story Emerges
And then came a surprising twist. Jitendra Chouksey, aka JC, is one of the guests on the Nikhil Kamath WTF. What is Longevity? The podcast, along with Bryan Johnson, had a different take. According to Chouksey, the founder of FITTR, Johnson’s departure had nothing to do with air pollution. Instead, he claimed that Johnson left because he had prior engagements.
Here’s what he revealed in a LinkedIn post:
I think there are a few posts doing rounds about how we weren’t taking AQI seriously during WTF podcast at Nikhil’s house.
This is wrong.
Nikhil had 4 big air purifiers installed. And the purifiers did manage to bring down the levels by almost 50%, i think it was about 280+ outside in Mumbai on that day during that time.
Bryan didn’t leave because of poor air quality, he left because he had prior engagements. He was in Mumbai during his PR tour prior to his Netflix release and did several podcasts around the time.
Rainmatter health is actively funding startups working on ground level issues right from clear air, clean water and clean food.
I’ve personally spoken about deteriorating air quality many times, if you’ve followed me, you know I don’t take any of these things lightly.
It was an awkward conversation as few of you already know my stance on Bryan. Nikhil did his best to keep it light hearted. It doesn’t mean he didn’t care about AQI. There’s an entire fund dedicated to helping Indians get access to clean air, water and food.
We’re breathing the same air as some of these guys who’re getting offended for no reason.
So, was air pollution the culprit, or did Johnson just need an excuse to leave early?
Chouksey made another crucial point—Nikhil Kamath and his team at Rainmatter Health actively fund clean air initiatives. They weren’t taking the issue lightly, and Kamath had gone out of his way to ensure a comfortable setting for the podcast.
Which brings us to the biggest question:
Was this a genuine concern about air pollution, or was Johnson just playing into a narrative that would get global attention?
So, What’s the Takeaway?
What makes this debate so interesting isn’t just Johnson’s reaction—but our own. The problem isn’t just air pollution, we’ve accepted it as part of life. If anything, this whole saga proves one thing: It shouldn’t take a foreign millionaire walking out of a podcast for us to start caring about the air we breathe. And now, the real question is—will this conversation actually lead to change?
Watch The Ep #21 | WTF is Longevity? | Nikhil ft. Nithin Kamath, Bryan Johnson, Prashanth, Jitendra & Seema Below
