Clavicular, whose real name is Braden Peters, is known for promoting the practice of "looksmaxxing"
NEED TO KNOW
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He frequently posts photos and videos of the extreme methods he uses to achieve his version of a "perfect" physical appearance
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Peters was hospitalized following a suspected overdose on April 14
The social media content creatorClavicular, whose real name is Braden Peters, is a controversial personality known for his "looksmaxxing" program.
Peters was born and raised in New Jersey to a stay-at-home mom and a businessman dad. However, by the time he was 14 years old, he was testing out various controlled substances, testosterone and steroids to "ascend" his physical appearance.
Peters has gained a significant following on TikTok, Kick and Instagram for posting content encouraging young men to physically alter their appearance to attract women. Over the last year, Peters has gained over 1 million followers across those three platforms.
In addition to garnering a social media following, Peters also launched the online academyClavicular’s Clan, a “private" community offering “detailed guides that will guaranteed ascend you.”
As he's risen in popularity, Peters has also been arrested twice and been involved in violent interactions on his livestreams.
In April 2026, Peters washospitalized following a suspected overdoseafter his livestream suddenly came to a stop, PEOPLE confirmed at the time. Peters appeared to be under the influence, as he slurred his speech and told a woman that he was "destroyed." He returned home from the hospital the following day.
Here's everything to know about Clavicular, whose real name is Braden Peters.
Who is Clavicular?
Clavicular is a popular and controversial content creator whose real name is Braden Peters. He was born in December 2005 and raised in Hoboken, N.J., as he toldThe New York Times.
Although he has not been officially diagnosed as being on the autism spectrum, he frequently calls himself an "autist" andsayshe has autism. Peters said he struggled in high school, so he started researching how to change his body.
“I rot[ted] in my room,” he said to a friend in February 2026, according toGQ. “I used to not really be social."
Ahead of his 15th birthday, Peters learned about "looksmaxxing" and ordered testosterone online.
“It’s like a cheat code,” he toldThe New York Times. “Why would I not do this?”
His parents allegedly later found the drugs and threw them away, which caused Peters to research other drugs — including fat dissolvers and steroids — and secretly order them.
“They realized that there was kind of nothing that they could do to stop my ascension,” he said of his parents.
By high school graduation, Peters' appearance had already drastically changed, and he started looking at the online forumLooksmax.organd frequently posted on it. At the same time, he enrolled at Sacred Heart University but claimed toThe New York Timesthat he was expelled after someone in the Looksmaxxing forum told the university that he had drugs in his dorm. The university reportedly did not publicly comment on the case due to FERPA, which protects student privacy.
With school no longer on his radar, he strictly focused on his "looksmaxxing" content and started to stream on Kick and TikTok for hours at a time.
“I never expected any of it to go viral or myself to become a public figure,” Peters said.
Over the years, Peters has alleged that he's gone to extreme lengths to "ascend" — including using non-human-approved anabolic steroid trenbolone, smoking meth to curb his appetite, placing weights on specific areas to enlarge his penis and even smashing his face with a hammer to make his bones grow back sharper.
What kind of content does Clavicular make?
Peters goes by the name Clavicular across his platforms. He specializes in "looksmaxxing," which is a vague process taken on primarily by young people, mainly men, who go to extreme lengths to "ascend," or become as physically attractive as possible.
He explained toThe New York Timesthat he and his community consider actorMatt Bomerto be the level of harmony and perfection they're trying to achieve. The actor has no links to the "looksmaxxing" community or Peters.
After getting his start on Looksmax.org, Peters rose the ranks and became a moderator. Shortly after, in 2025, Peters started sharing his controversial tactics on TikTok, Kick and Instagram. He is known for streaming, specifically "IRL" streaming — where he interacts with strangers — for hours on end. He claimed he averages earnings of around $100,000 a month from Kick, alone.
Peters often poststhrowback photosof what he looked like before the age of 15 to now, over five years later. In addition tosharing his own tips, Peters also postsbefore-and-after contentfrom his alleged clients, whom he says he coaches through his online program.
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"If you’re tired of being invisible to women, tired of getting rejected and tired of watching other guys who won the genetic lottery take what's yours, then pay attention," he said in an introductory video on his website.
Peters further claimed, "I've spent years mastering the science of male aesthetics. I'm talking about completely restructuring your facial aesthetics using pharmacology, extreme methods and protocols people are too scared to even ask about." He does not hold a degree in pharmacology and is not certified to give medical advice.
Peters also claimed that he has trained clients who are "skinny low-day morphism and completely overlooked by women and turned them into jacked high-value men who command and respect the second they walk in the room."
Manydoctors have warnedpeople in the "looksmaxxing" community that their methods are dangerous.
“Young men fall into this false sense of acceptance, and what they believe women want from them,” counselor Jason Fierstein toldHealthline. “They can get caught up in potentially lifelong struggles with feeling inadequate and handling that inadequacy.”
Counselor Christine Ruberti-Bruning added that extreme versions of "looksmaxxing" are "dipping its toe into self-harm territory, especially some of its associated trends, likesmashing your facewith a hammer.”
Why was Clavicular arrested?
In February 2026, Peters was arrested for allegedly possessing a forged instrument, using a fake ID and suspicion of dangerous drug possession — which were later identified as Adderall and Anavar — after he was caught using a fake ID to get into a bar, perKTAR News. State prosecutors declined to charge him.
One month later, Peters wasarrested for a second time on charges of battery, the Fort Lauderdale Police Department told PEOPLE at the time. He was arrested after hereportedlyprovoked a fight between two women and then posted the video online. A rep for Peters did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s request for comment.
What other controversies has Clavicular created?
Prior to his legal troubles, Peters had another controversial moment when he hit a man with a Tesla Cybertruck while livestreaming in December 2025, perTMZ.
Peters alleged that the man was a “stream sniper” who was stalking him; Peters appeared to run the man over after he jumped onto the car. After the incident, he posted an animated image of the altercation onXwith the caption, "Play stupid games, win stupid prizes." Police reportedly did not charge him in connection with the incident.
Earlier that month, Peters was seen pointing a gun at a car of strangers, whom he also claimed were "stream snipers," according toThe New York Times. Another video of him appearing to shoot a gun at a dead alligator in Florida also surfaced around the same time, perTheGuardian.
In April 2026, during an interview with60 Minutes Australia, Peters got upset with correspondent Adam Hegarty after he asked him why he was friendly with other "controversial figures," likeAndrew Tate, who is currently facing21 criminal charges, including rape and human trafficking. Tate has denied all charges.
“I see you want to make this political,” Peters responded, while referencing another interview he had with Piers Morgan where he insulted Morgan's wife after he felt the interview became “too political.”
“Too bad I didn't have time to look into anything about who your wife cheated with, but don't try and go down that line of questioning with me,” Peters told Hegarty. “I'm not doing any political jestering.” Hegarty said in the interview that he is not married.
Peters has faced online backlash from activists and investigative journalists, including aRolling Stonewriter who paid for his "looksmaxxing" course and reported on Peters' dangerous, racist and misogynistic advice.
What happened to Clavicular in April 2026?
On April 14, Peters was rushed to an emergency room following a suspected overdose, PEOPLE confirmed at the time. The incident took place when he was livestreaming with two other influencers at a mall.
Prior to the livestream getting cut, Peters was seen talking to a woman and appeared to be under the influence.
"Holy s--- dude, I'm trying my best, but I'm f---ing destroyed right now," Peters repeatedly told the woman.
One of the influencers in the video,Androgenic, also asked Peters when he "last took blue," and later asked if he wanted an "addy," seemingly referring to the ADHD drug Adderall. Androgenic later addressed the ordeal onX.
"I hadn’t seen him in this state before and he went from speaking to being fairly unresponsive in mere seconds," Androgenic wrote. "Within a minute we all realised the situation, turned the stream off, picked him up and rushed him to the hospital."
The following day,Peters shared an updateand said that he had returned home.
"Just got home, that was brutal," Peters captioned a selfie, which featured his bloody face. "All of the substances are just a cope trying to feel neurotypical while being in public, but obviously that isn't a real solution. The worst part of tonight was my face descending from the life support mask."
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Clavicular, whose real name is Braden Peters, is known for promoting the practice of "looksmaxxing" NEED TO KNOW ...
