Not one to miss out on a trend, celebrities around the world are going vegan! Here are the ethical vegan celebrities who are inspiring change and making the world a kinder place.
Veganism was once considered a fringe movement but is now firmly in the mainstream thanks in part to vegan celebrities. Inspired by environmental and ethical concerns, people from all walks of life are adopting a plant-based diet.
Vegans once struggled to find a platform to share their views. But thanks to vegan celebrities sharing the positive benefits of their plant-based diets, millions of fans have been inspired to give veganism a try.
Reaching audiences of millions via social media, the rising number of plant-based celebrities and vegans celebrities has helped to reach new audiences like never before. It’s official, Hollywood is going vegan thanks to these vegan celebrities!
53 vegan celebrities share why they went vegan
1. Moby
One of the most high-profile vegan celebrities who has been vegan since 1987 is American musician and animal advocate Moby.
The musical legend first cut meat from his diet aged 19 thanks to his beloved pet cat Tucker.
Following an epiphany, Moby told Rolling Stone he realised he “would do anything to protect him and make him happy and keep him from harm.”
Recognising that he had “an amazing brain and an incredibly rich emotional life”, he questioned why he would continue to eat other animals too.
He said: “I would never in a trillion years think of hurting this cat. So why am I eating other animals who have four (or two) legs, two eyes, amazing brains, and rich emotional lives?”
In 1987, Moby decided that he no longer wanted to contribute to animal suffering and realised so gave up all animal products and became a vegan.
More recently, the artist gave a TEDx Talk at Venice Beach titled ‘Why I’m A Vegan’ to discuss the cognitive dissonance of eating meat.
Sharing his passion for vegan food, Moby opened vegan restaurant Little Pine in 2015 in Los Angeles and donated all profits to animal rights organisations.
Moby proudly lets the world know he is vegan for life with a number of tattoos on his arms and neck, inked by fellow vegan, Kat Von D.
2. Joaquin Phoenix
Vegan actor Joaquin Phoenix doesn’t let the pressures of Hollywood stand in his way of spreading the vegan message. The actor hit the headlines in February 2020 with his powerful Oscar’s acceptance speech slamming the cruel dairy industry.
Taking to the stage, Phoenix urged people to adopt a plant-based diet to lessen the suffering of farmed animals.
“We’ve become very disconnected from the natural world,” he warned the star-studded audience.
He also questioned why “we feel entitled to artificially inseminate a cow and steal her baby, even though her cries of anguish are unmistakable.”
The actor has been vegan since he was 3 years old after he and his siblings “witnessed fish being killed in a really violent and aggressive way.”
As well as featuring in a number of vegan billboard ads for PETA, he also attends protests and vigils. In fact, just hours after winning an Academy Award for Best Actor he was seen liberating cows from slaughter.
3. Billie Eilish
Billie Eilis was raised vegetarian before going vegan and uses her time in the spotlight to advocate for veganism. She also regularly uses her platform to share the truth surrounding animal agriculture.
Responding to fans on Tumblr, Billie explained was vegan because she loves animals and wants them to be left alone.
Encouraging her fans to go vegan, she pleaded: “Leave animals alone. Damn.”
In 2018 she took to social media to show her 26 million followers the horrors of an Indiana dairy farm. Expressing her disgust, she questioned how anyone “can watch the videos that I just posted and not give a f—k.”
4. Woody Harrelson
When it comes to vegan celebrities, it’s fair to say that Hollywood actor Woody Harrelson was way ahead of the curve! The Hunger Games star is passionate about animals and the environment and has been vegan for over 30 years.
Many vegan celebrities have credited Harrelson with turning them vegan, including Thandiwe Newton, Sadie Sink and former-vegan Liam Hemsworth.
The actor is friends with vegan chefs and Wicked Healthy founders Derek and Chad Sarno. He has employed Chad as a personal chef on a number of occasions and even wrote the forward for the brothers’ cookbook.
The actor is so passionate about veganism that when starring in Zombieland, he had to eat specially made mock Twinkies made of cornmeal.
Speaking about his vegan lifestyle, Harrelson said: “Becoming vegan was the biggest change I ever made in my life, and one of the greatest accomplishments as well.”
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5. Rainn Wilson
Rainn Wilson is worlds away from the meat-loving character he portrayed on The Office, Dwight Shrute, as the star is an animal-loving vegan!
During a 2017 appearance on American talk show, Conan, Wilson revealed his beloved rescue pigs inspired him to go vegan. While eating breakfast, Wilson realised he loved Snortington and Amy more than bacon and so went vegan.
He told Conan O’Brien that he had a revelation one day as he was eating some bacon and “looking at these adorable little pigs”.
Dubbing himself ‘The Fifty Year Old Vegan’ in an Instagram post, Wilson shared the positive health benefits he had enjoyed since going vegan. He told his 2.5 million fans: “I noticed that I had more energy! I was sleeping better and deeper.”
6. Evanna Lynch
Harry Potter star and vegan podcast host Evanna Lynch has said that being vegan was always in her nature. The actress stopped eating meat at 11 years old as she was “viscerally repelled by the idea of eating animal flesh”.
Lynch said that before turning vegan in 2014 she was in “cloud cuckooland eating my ice-cream and imagining that the cows were having a grand old time in the open fields.”
It wasn’t until she read the book Eating Animals that her eyes were opened to the violence inherent in the process of eggs and milk production.
As well as hosting The Chickpeeps podcast, Evanna has also launched her own vegan beauty subscription box for cruelty-free beauty fans.
7. Stevie Wonder
Legendary musician Stevie Wonder, who has scooped up an impressive 25 Grammy Awards to date, made the decision to go vegan in 2016 for both health and environmental reasons.
Discussing the benefits of his vegan diet, Wonder said: “I’ve been a vegan for two years, so that’s helped my already good-looking self. I think that eating healthy is important.”
The superstar regularly discusses his vegan lifestyle, even singing a vegan jingle with James Corden on The Late Late Show with James Corden in 2017.
Stevie is passionate about spreading the vegan message in order to safeguard the future of our planet. He said: “We have to be about making our planet more greener, the urban areas more sustainable for the children.
“We can’t just talk about it, we have to be about it,” he added.
8. Elliot Page
Actor Elliot Page, best known for his role in iconic teen comedy Juno, has been a vegan for a decade. Dubbed the ‘World’s Sexiest Vegan’ by PETA in 2014, the star is an ethical vegan.
The actor has previously spoken out about the injustices facing farmed animals. In 2011, he tweeted his 1.8million followers to ask why people make fun of vegans.
Sharing his confusion, he questioned why the “inhumane factory farming process regards animals and the natural world merely as commodities to be exploited.”
9. Lewis Hamilton
Five-time Formula 1 champion Lewis Hamilton has been vegan since 2017. The British racing legend adopted a plant-based diet to aid with his athletic performance and help the environment.
Keen to make the fast-food industry a kinder, greener place, Hamilton has even opened a chain of plant-based burger restaurants, Neat Burger.
Neat Burger opened the doors to its first restaurant just off Regent Street in London last year and has since opened a second branch in Camden Market.
Lewis isn’t the only vegan in his family either as his beloved bulldog Roscoe has also been feeling healthier since switching to a vegan diet.
His furry companion has suffered from health issues in the past which are common amongst the breed. As a result of his vegan diet, Roscoe’s life has been transformed for the better.
Delightedly sharing the good news, Hamilton wrote: “He’s like a puppy again! It’s been amazing to see these changes in Roscoe and I’m so grateful to be able to share this.”
10. Rooney Mara
Rooney Mara has been vegan for almost a decade after ditching animal products in 2011, having eaten a vegetarian diet on and off since she was nine.
Speaking to Coveteur in 2018 about the reasons why she went vegan, Mara revealed a disturbing video was the catalyst.
“About seven years ago, someone sent me this horrible undercover video of a pig, which led me to another horrible video and another horrible video. I went down the YouTube rabbit hole,” she said.
After finding it difficult to find stylish combat boots that weren’t made from leather, Mara co-founded Hiraeth. The vegan clothing line aims to prove that vegan clothing can be stylish without the use of animal materials.
Alongside her clothing line, Mara also narrated the animal rights documentary Dominion with her partner and fellow vegan, Joaquin Phoenix.
The vegan power couple recently announced that they are teaming up with Cowspiracy filmmaker to executive produce a new documentary, The End of Medicine.
This feature-length documentary focuses on ‘how our treatment of the natural world and the animals within it contribute significantly to the spread of infectious disease and antimicrobial resistance.’
11. Lizzo
Singer-songwriter Lizzo is one of the latest vegan celebrities to go vegan after she took the plunge and ditched animal products from her diet in 2020.
The Juice singer had previously followed a vegetarian diet for seven years before taking the plunge and finally going vegan in the summer.
Lizzo first revealed she has gone vegan in a TikTok video shared to her 8 million followers. In the video, Lizzo said: “As a new vegan I’m enjoying exploring flavours from plants & plant-based proteins! Every journey is personal & deserves to be celebrated.”
The Grammy-award winner celebrated her six-month vegan anniversary in October in another TikTok video reflecting on her vegan journey. She also showed fans some of her favourite plant-based recipes in celebration.
12. Pamela Anderson
Former Baywatch star Pamela Anderson is a proud vegan and longtime animal rights activist. Pamela has been vegan for over 30 years, making her one of the OG vegan celebrities in Hollywood.
PETA named Anderson its 2016 Person of the Year for her efforts to encourage vegan eating and animal activism.
Regularly collaborating with the animal rights organisation, Pamela has appeared in multiple campaigns encouraging people to go vegan.
The star regularly tweets about animal protection issues to over a million Twitter followers and even opened a vegan pop-up restaurant in France.
13. Alan Cummings
X-Men and James Bond actor Alan Cummings has been vegan for around 12 years and regularly teams up with animal rights group PETA to promote its campaigns.
Speaking about the positive effects on his health since being vegan, Cummings said: “When I stopped and became vegan my skin cleared up.
“I feel much better, I feel I’ve got more energy, I feel cleaner, I feel younger because I’m not asking my body to cope with things that it’s not necessarily good with coping at.”
14. Sia Furler
Photo by Attila Kisbenedek/AFP via Getty Images
Famously private Australian singer Sia revealed that she was vegan in a tweet in 2014 when a vegan restaurant owner invited her to come and visit his restaurant.
@HectorRochas I will! I’m fully vegan now!
— sia (@Sia) May 12, 2014
Having followed a vegetarian diet for many years prior, the songstress has joined forces with animal rights organisation PETA in the past to campaign to help end animal homelessness.
15. Peter Dinklage
Photo credit: Angela Weiss/AFP via Getty Images
Famed for his role as Tyrion Lannister in the hit show Game of Thrones, actor Peter Dinklage was a vegetarian for 15 years before deciding to go vegan in 2014.
A staunch animal-rights activist, Dinklage has appeared in several PETA campaigns over the years such as the Face Your Food video. In the video, Dinklage revealed the ugly truth behind the meat, egg, and dairy industries.
The star also warned fans that dogs are a lifetime commitment amid the deadly “direwolf trend”. GOT fans were inspired to purchase their own ‘direwolves’ by the show, leading to a shocking rise in the number of abandoned huskies at animal shelters.
16. Russell Brand
Like many people, Russell Brand had a few false-starts when he first decided to transition to veganism. The actor and comedian has been a strict vegetarian since he was 14, but later turned vegan in 2011 after viewing the documentary Forks Over Knives.
Following his stint on Celebrity Bake Off in 2019, Brand took to Instagram to say: “I’ve been baking like a maniac ever since. And I’m vegan now (again),” alongside a mouth-watering selection of vegan bakes.
17. Mayim Bialik
Actress and star of The Big Bang Theory, Mayim Bialik, is a long-term vegan who regularly uses her celebrity status to advocate for the animals.
Bialik has shared many videos on her YouTube channel explaining her reasons for being vegan, as well as offering advice on how to raise happy and healthy vegan children.
Bialik first cut meat from her diet aged 19, but took the plunge and went vegan after reading Jonathan Safran Foer’s 2009 book, Eating Animals.
Keen to share the benefits of veganism, Mayim has even published her own vegan cookbook, Mayim’s Vegan Table, with over 100 family-friendly plant-based recipes
18. Fearne Cotton
Celebrity TV presenter Fearne Cotton said going vegan was ‘energizing’ and ‘not as hard’ as she thought. The star revealed she has gone vegan in an episode of The Chickpeeps Podcast, hosted by Harry Potter star Evanna Lynch.
Fearne said that she stopped eating meat aged 11 after watching a distressing news show on the transportation of animals. However, she said she ‘hadn’t even heard’ of veganism at this time as the movement was still in its infancy.
With veganism becoming mainstream in recent years, Fearne became interested in removing animal products from her diet and decided to ditch them entirely.
“I incrementally became vegan,” Cotton said. “The last thing to go – because I was never a big dairy fan anyway – was eggs.
“It was about a year and a half ago that I just went ‘that’s it, no more eggs. Goodbye eggs.’ And it’s been amazing. It hasn’t been as hard as I thought at all.”
The presenter was asked by podcast host Evanna whether ethical considerations came into play in her decision to adopt a plant-based diet.
Fearne replied: “I think I just wanted to go full hog vegan and really kind of live and breathe that experience and not buy any new leather products.
“Now, I always try and buy either just non-leather products or shoes like Dr. Martens that do great vegan shoes.”
In 2019, the TV host released her first vegan cookbook packed full of family-friendly recipes.
19. Colin Kaepernick
It will probably come as no surprise to hear that one of the US’s most well-known football players, Colin Kaepernick, is a vegan. After all, the sports star and activist has his own flavour of vegan Ben & Jerry’s ice cream to honour his fight for racial justice.
Kaepernick revealed in 2016 that he had been vegan for nine months after making the switch with his longtime girlfriend, Nessa Diab, in order to help him recover from injuries sustained in his career.
The vegan athlete received a lot of criticism for his decision to go vegan, with many doubting that it would help him recover. Proving them all wrong, Kaepernick bounced back stronger than ever, sharing a gym selfie highlighting his muscular physique alongside the caption, “Always ready #NotBadForAVegan.”
20. Sadie Sink
Stranger Things star Sadie Sink credits Hollywood-legend Woody Harrelson for showing her that going vegan ‘totally doable’. Sink met veteran vegan Harrelson five years ago whilst filming The Glass Castle and was inspired to go vegan after spending time with his family.
Sink explained, “He’s a very passionate vegan and his entire family is vegan as well, so by spending time with them, I was able to learn that a vegan lifestyle is totally doable and it’s not as hard as it may seem.”
Before meeting Harrelson Sadie followed a vegetarian diet. But after discovering the horrors of the egg and dairy industries, she decided “That’s it! Going vegan!” and cut out animal products immediately.
21. Leona Lewis
Leona teamed up with Fur Free Britain to campaign for a UK fur sales ban.
British singer Leona Lewis was actually raised in a vegan household! As a result, she has always been conscious of her dietary choices. She turned vegetarian at the age of 12 saying it was a “natural choice”, but went fully vegan in 2012.
The talented star has been a trustee at Hopefield animal sanctuary in Essex for eleven years. The X-Factor winner regularly takes to social media to raises awareness about the sanctuary and animal welfare.
Lewis even had a fully vegan wedding when she tied the knot with husband Dennis Jaunch in 2019, according to her dessert chef, Marco Failla.
Marco told Hello! Magazine that the entire wedding menu was vegan. “Of course everything was vegan and without artificial flavours,” Marco said.
22. Lucy Watson
Made in Chelsea star Lucy Watson went vegan after watching the hard-hitting documentary, Cowspiracy. According to the star, “everything changed” when she found how the truth about the cruel dairy and egg industries.
Watson explained that after coming to that realisation “it just didn’t make sense for me to continue to eat dairy, as an animal lover!”
A keen cook, Lucy has released two best-selling vegan cookbooks and a line of vegan ready-meals and desserts. The vegan actress and model also owns vegan restaurant Tell Your Friends in London with her sister Tiffany.
23. Kat Von D
Controversial celebrity tattoo artist Kat Von D was first inspired to give up animal products for good after watching Forks Over Knives.
Having followed a vegetarian diet for many years, she said that “eliminating all animal products was a natural step.”
A passionate and outspoken vegan, Kat Von D made the bold decision to transition her popular make-up brand, Kat Von D Beauty, to become a fully vegan brand.
Since then, Von D has sold her eponymous make-up brand to concentrate on new vegan ventures. Von D Shoes debuted its first collection of vegan shoes in 2018 which are handcrafted in Italy.
24. Thandiwe Newton
Star Wars actress Thandiwe Newton was just one of many vegan celebrities who count Woody Harrelson as their inspiration for going vegan!
While promoting the movie she starred alongside Harrelson in, Solo: A Star Wars Story, Thandiwe said she enjoyed having a vegan on the set.
“I think it’s good to have a vegan in the mix. [Good to have] a vegan in a position of power. I have been vegan since working with Woody,” the actress revealed.
Telling the interviewer how long she had been a vegan, she added: “The last four months, it’s been four months. It hasn’t done anything to my brain, I’m absolutely fine.”
25. Jason Mraz
Grammy-nominated singer Jason Mraz has been vegan since 2011. and is a big fan of raw vegan food in particular.
Like many vegan celebrities, Mraz first adopted a plant-based diet thanks to its numerous health benefits. In a blog post, Mraz said he was “feeling stronger, fitter, healthier and more productive” thanks to his plant-based diet.
Mraz has enjoyed a number of health benefits since being vegan. Not only is he fitter and able to “do more pull-ups than ever”, but he also said it has improved his performance in the bedroom!
26. Tobey Maguire
Photo credit: Loic Venanace/AFP via Getty Images
Spiderman star Tobey Maguire has been a vegetarian since 1992 and a vegan since 2009.
“I’ve never had any desire to eat meat. In fact, when I was a kid I would have a really difficult time eating meat at all,” he told Parade.
While filming The Great Gatsby, Maguire even returned a hire car with leather seats. Instead, the actor requested one with a cruelty-free interior.
Actress Natalie Portman also claims that Maguire inspired her to go vegan in 2008 after starring in the movie Brothers together.
27. Russell Simmons
Music mogul Russell Simmons has been a vegan since 1998 after learning about “the cruelty animals raised for food must endure.”
Long before Veganury, Simmons took the vegan pledge on New Year’s Day and hasn’t looked back since! A keen practitioner of meditation and yoga, going vegan was the natural step for the hip hop icon.
In an interview with Al Roker, Simmons said: “Well, it started with my yoga practice and you know, the practice of non-harming, ‘ahimsa.’”
“So I became a vegan because [of] compassion [for] the animals.”
Simmons has even published a book entitled ‘The Happy Vegan’ to show ‘how a vegan diet can let to greater success and fulfilment’.
28. Mýa
R&B singer Mýa credits her plant-based diet for her youthful appearance. In a post, she said: “I would definitely recommend [a vegan diet] in every possible way.
Mýa went vegan to test her willpower but stuck to it after learning the truth about factory farming and the dairy industry.
Speaking to PETA, Mýa praised the “wonders” that eating vegan has done for her skin, body, and overall health.
Encouraging fans give it a try, she said anyone wanting to “see a huge difference in your life” should go vegan. The singer has even released a free online guide to help fans to transition to a vegan lifestyle.
29. Madelaine Petsch
When it comes to vegan celebrities, few can claim they’ve been vegan since birth. But Madelaine Petsch is one who can!
The Riverdale star was raised in a vegan household eating fresh produce grown in her family’s garden.
“I was lucky to grow up with two incredibly environmentally-aware parents, who ingrained these thoughts in me,” Petsch told Elle.
The eco-conscious loves to show her fans how fun a sustainable vegan lifestyle can be. “I want to teach people how positive and easy it is to be vegan”, she said.
On her YouTube channel, Petsch can be seen making delicious vegan recipes, including cinnamon rolls. What better way to show the benefits of going vegan than by showing off some tasty food!
30. Alicia Silverstone
Few vegan celebrities have been vegan as long as Clueless star Alicia Silverstone who went vegan in 1998. Questioning why she continued to eat animals when she loved her pet dog, she made the decision to go vegan.
“I just took a look at my dog and said, ‘If I’m not willing to eat you, how can I continue to eat these other creatures that have the same desire to live, are just as funny, just as cute as my dogs?’” she told Oprah.
Now, Alicia is a passionate animal activist who is raising her son as a vegan. The actress has even posed nude for a PETA campaign, claiming she would “rather go naked than wear wool.”
31. Natalie Portman
Natalie Portman credits Tobey Maguire as her inspiration for going vegan in 2008. She said: “I was around Tobey Maguire in rehearsals and he’s vegan and I was eating this energy bar, which was really nice.
“I’m honest about caring about animals. You know, eggs and milk products, there’s a lot of animal discomfort in that, too. I don’t know if it’s a permanent thing.”
Throughout quarantine, Portman has been sharing vegan cooking videos on social media. Speaking to Jimmy Fallon she explained that she enjoyed showing how varied a vegan diet can be.
“I like showing that there are really delicious, varied, easy things that you can do at home that your kids will eat that are plant-based,” she told Fallon.
The actress also recently invested in MycoWorks, a company creating vegan leather from mushrooms.
32. Daisy Ridley
The vegan movement is even mainstream in galaxies far, far away as Star Wars actress Daisy Ridley is a vegan.
During an interview about The Last Jedi, she praised the vegan options while balancing filming and promoting the film.
Moreover, on this year’s Celebrity Bake Off for Stand Up To Cancer, Daisy cooked with 100% vegan ingredients. She created vegan banoffee-inspired millionaire’s shortbread, a chocolate and raspberry tart and a rather unconventional toilet-shaped cake.
33. Emily Deschanel
Bones actress Emily Deschanel is a fierce vegan advocate, having adopted the lifestyle at just 17.
Her passion for animal welfare is undeniable, helping to raise $1.2 million for animal rights charity Mercy for Animals in 2018.
Speaking on a podcast, she explained her reason for going vegan was driven by the environmental impact of factory farming.
“The impact on the environment that meat and dairy have and that factory farming has on the environment, and what it does to the animals, how horribly they’re kept.
“How horribly they’re treated and killed for us to eat, and then it’s about how it affects our health. It was always the triple-whammy that really affected me”, she explained.
34. Kate Mara
Rooney isn’t the only vegan in the Mara family as Kate Mara is also a vegan too!
According to Mara, she “decided to go vegan after reading a book called The Beauty Detox Solution by Kimberly Snyder.”
Since going vegan eight years ago, Mara has found eating a plant-based diet much easier on her digestion. “I’ve always had a pretty sensitive stomach, but when I cut animal products out of my diet, I felt so much better”, told Shape Magazine.
A keen animal activist, Mara also said she felt responsible for making “choices about what I’m putting into my body”.
She added that knowing how animals suffer, she felt she couldn’t “just do whatever I want because something tastes good or something’s convenient.”
35. Ruby Rose
John Wick star Ruby Rose started to question why we eat animals at a young age.
Speaking about a childhood memory that prompted her to go vegan, Rose said: “I used to get something called ‘shark fin soup,’ and I didn’t know. I said to my mom, ‘Wait, is this made out of an actual shark’s fin?’ and she was like, ‘Oh no, darling, of course not.”
Rose when shocked to find out later than the soup did indeed contain shark fins. Sharing her horror at the realisation, she said: “That really scared me.
“I used to have nightmares that they were finless in the ocean and I couldn’t eat any fish ever again”, she recounted.
The Australian-born actress has now been vegan for several years and even won PETA’s Sexiest Vegan Award in 2017.
36. Danielle Brooks
It turns out that Orange Is The New Black star Danielle Brooks is just as compassionate as her character Taystee!
Brooks is an outspoken humanitarian who regularly uses her platform to advocate for minorities and the LGBT community. But in 2017, she told her 2.2 million Instagram followers that she was going vegan too.
Sharing a photo of a delicious tempeh dish, Brookes wrote: “Vegan life! Day nine of the rest of my life??”
37. James Cromwell
James Cromwell had been a vegetarian since the 1970s, but his experience while filming Babe led to him going vegan.
While on set with the animals, he realised he could no longer bring himself to eat them after working closely alongside them.
“I cared about their welfare and then of course you have lunch and it’s all there in front of you. I thought I should go the whole hog, so to speak,” he explained.
Since starring in the movie, Cromwell has teamed up with PETA on a number of campaigns to improve animal welfare.
38. Benedict Cumberbatch
Photo credit: Valery Hache/AFP via Getty Images
Sherlock star Benedict Cumberbatch has mostly kept his vegan diet under wraps, only revealing tidbits of information about his diet.
When questioned whether he liked Nando’s, the actor replied with a chuckle: “Well only if they’ve got a vegan option.”
Similarly, when asked if he tried the local cuisine in Singapore while filming, the star answered: “As much as a vegan can.”
Benedict might not be very vocal about his diet unlike some vegan celebrities, but we love that he’s secretly doing his bit for the animals.
39. Nathalie Emmanuel
Game of Thrones star Nathalie Emmanuel has been vegan for nine years after trying the diet to see how she felt.
Reminiscing about the beginnings of her vegan diet, Nathalie said the changes she felt were even obvious to others.
“People kept coming up to me and telling me I looked glowy and my eyes looked really bright, so I kept going,” she said.
Now, Nathalie indulges in vegan pancakes as well as veganised Jamaican dishes such as rice and peas with ackee ‘saltfish’.
40. Kevin Smith
Jay and Silent Bob star Kevin Smith went vegan following a heart attack that threatened his life. Realising he needed to make drastic changes to his lifestyle, his daughter Harley Quinn persuaded him to go vegan for two months.
Harley Quinn told New York Post publication Page Six, “He’s the healthiest he’s ever been. He’s vegan now, which is amazing.”
Now, the duo host their own vegan podcast where they interview vegan celebrities and answer ‘vegan-curious’ questions from non-vegans wanting to learn more about veganism.
41. Bimini Bon Boulash
It will come as no surprise to fans of RuPaul’s Drag Race UK to hear that finalist Bimini Bon Boulash is proudly vegan. Upon entering the workroom, the 26-year-old non-binary drag queen announced: “I’m vegan!
“I’m East London’s plant-based princess. I’m like, the most famous vegan in East London because I don’t stop going on about it,” she added.
In the ‘Meet the Queens’ teasers, Bimini told viewers they have been vegan for nearly seven years, joking “I invented veganism about seven years ago.”
The vegan queen is vocal about animal rights on their Instagram. In fact, she even recreated Pamela Anderson’s famous ‘All animals have the same parts’ PETA campaign in a white bikini.
42. Rob Zombie
Metal rocker and filmmaker Rob Zombie has been vegan for almost a decade after he found himself repulsed one day by his breakfast of eggs. He told GQ that he came to the realisation that “This is disgusting and I’m done.”
Zombie had been a vegetarian since he was 18, but said that he “never really liked eating meat”. According to the musician, he believes that: “We’re all brainwashed from the moment we’re born that all the cows are happy and the pigs are happy.”
Rob and his wife Sheri Moon both enjoy a healthy vegan diet full of homegrown fruits and vegetables ‘elaborate salads’. The couple has also opened up their home to a number of rescued animals, including six goats he rescued with the help of PETA.
43. Romesh Ranganathan
British comedian Romesh Ranganathan first cut out meat and went vegetarian when he was 10-years old before turning vegan in 2013.
Speaking in the past, Ranganathan has said the reason people hate vegans is because “they know it’s the right choice”.
Starring in a hilarious video for BBC2 Two, Ranganathan said: “People hate vegans and the reason they hate vegans is because they think we’re humorless, they think we think we’re better than non-vegans, they think we’re always banging on about it, and all of those things are true.
“I am better than you if you’re not vegan. In terms of my ethical decisions, I am so much better than you. I’m better for the planet, I’m better for the animals. There’s nothing worse about me apart from I’m slightly irritating to have round for dinner”, he added.
During an episode of Jamie & Jimmy’s Friday Night Feast, Romesh discussed what led him to go vegan. Check out it below:
44. Will.i.am
Photo credit: Ben Stansall/AFP via Getty Images
Black Eyed Peas singer Willi.i.am first went vegan in 2018 as a way of taking back control of his health after suffering from high cholesterol and high blood pressure,
“After we finished filming [The Voice] in December I went home, I became vegan, I biked to work, and I lost 15 lb,” he explained.
Since then, the rapper has been a vocal advocate for veganism and regularly speaks out about the ethics of killing animals for food, as well as the corruption in the food industry.
Willi.i.am even shared a video to Instagram where he highlighted the importance of a plant-based diet as a form of self-help and self-medication. In the caption, he wrote that vegans were “a group of people taking a hardcore gangster approach to wellness and conscious living.”
45. Travis Barker
Blink-182 drummer Travis Barker has been vegan since 2008 after surviving a tragic plane crash inspired him to focus on his health. A vegetarian since the age of 13, Barker now enjoys a healthy vegan and gluten-free diet, with the occasional vegan treat!
The musician starts his day with an oat milk coffee and often enjoys dinner from his favourite vegan restaurant, Crossroads. Barker certainly doesn’t miss anything on his vegan diet, telling GQ: “I love vegan pizza, I’ll also have vegan sushi, Vietnamese vegan food, a dear friend of mine owns this spot called Au Lac which is just so good.”
46. Brian May
Legendary Queen guitarist isn’t just a talented musician, he’s also an animal lover and activist to boot.
A passionate and outspoken vegan, May recently spoke out about the link between the pandemic and eating animals.
Speaking to NME May said: “This pandemic seemed to come from people eating animals… It’s becoming more well known that eating animals is not the greatest thing for our health.
“To go vegan was just a decision, and I haven’t been preachy about it. But now, we’ve seen more of the effects of how eating animals has brought us to our knees as a species.
“I think it’s time to re-examine our world in a way that doesn’t abuse other species.”
47. Maggie Q
For American actress Maggie Q, eating a plant-based diet is nothing new. After all, the Divergent star has been vegan for over 20 years!
Maggie has been a vocal animal activist for many years, and regularly teams up with PETA to promote the organisation’s causes. She’s also a badass athlete who performs her own stunts thanks to her plant-based diet.
In fact, it was PETA who first inspired her to go vegan when she met a PETA Asia employee at a concert who sent her “information on animal-welfare in the fashion, food, and entertainment industries.”
She told Veg News. “It made me sick, but nothing prepared me for the truth of the environmental impact of meat production. I quit cold turkey and never looked back. I didn’t understand how I could have ever claimed to love animals but hadn’t made the choices to protect them.”
But Maggie isn’t just passionate about saving animals, but also about saving the planet too and regularly shares the benefits of eating a plant-based diet for the environment.
However, despite being an animal rights advocate, Maggie prefers not to call herself a vegan so as not to alienate people from going plant-based.
Explaining her stance to The Beet, she said: “I don’t [call myself vegan], because it has become a weird, negative term and people feel very judged by it.
“So I like plant-based better because it’s friendlier: It’s inclusive. You can’t judge people. They have to be where they’re at, and you have to accept them for where they are.”
48. Theo Rossi
Sons of Anarchy star Theo Rossi has been vegan since way back when “it wasn’t cool”. In fact, the actor has been vegan for an impressive 24 years after turning vegan at the age of 22. As Rossi has been vegan for over half his life, he is one of the most dedicated vegan celebrities in Hollywood.
According to Rossi, he has a “certain connection to animals,” and grew up surrounded by them.
Speaking on the PEOPLE Every Day podcast, Rossi said: “I’m surrounded by animals. They’ve kind of dictated my life.”
Inspired by his love of animals and having learned the truth about how meat is produced, Rossi went vegan and hasn’t looked back since.
Even though his family don’t follow a vegan diet, Rossi has stayed true to his morals for over two decades.
But it wasn’t always as easy to be vegan as it is now. Speaking about the perception of veganism in 1997, Rossi said: “It wasn’t fashionable and it wasn’t cool.”
Undeterred, the vegan actor made it his mission to make it work.
“I was trying things, because I was trying to see what works for me. Being a vegan works for me,” he explained.
49. Boy George
The secret to singer Boy George’s ageless looks is his raw vegan diet which he has followed since 2014.
Like many vegan celebrities, the Culture Club singer first turned to a plant-based diet of raw whole foods in a bid to ditch weight after piling on the pounds.
To help him stick to his vegan diet, Boy George enlisted the help of dietician Amelia Freer’s and followed her nutrition plan.
The Karma Chameleon crooner has tweeted about veganism in the past and regularly shares photos of his meat-free meals.
As well as following a vegan diet, Boy George has been practising Buddhism since 2012.
50. Casey Affleck
Photo by Vivien Killilea/Getty Images for Haute Living
Actor and director Casey Affleck might be better known for his role The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford, but he’s also one of the original vegan celebrities, having gone vegan in 1995.
The younger brother of actor Ben Affleck was inspired to cut out animal products after learning about the horrors of the animal agriculture industry.
Since then Affleck has been an outspoken animal advocate and regularly teams up with PETA to help the organisation promote its animal rights campaigns.
Speaking about why he is vegan, Affleck explained: “When people ask me why I don’t eat meat or any other animal products, I say, ‘Because they are unhealthy and they are the product of a violent and inhumane industry’.”
51. Jenna Dewan
Dancer and actress Jenna Dewan went vegan in 2013 after being vegetarian for 22 years. She explained to the LA Times: “When I was 10 or 11, I saw a program on slaughterhouses.
“I just remember being blown away, utterly traumatized. And I declared the next day that I was never eating meat again. And I didn’t—it started then.
“As I got older, I learned more, and as I understood about the sufferings of factory-farmed animals it just tears into you.”
Like many vegan celebrities, she has participated in numerous PETA and other animal rights campaigns, criticising the use of animals for fur, clothing, cosmetics and other beauty products.
What’s more, she even tried to get ex-husband Channing Tatum on the vegan train during their marriage, now that’s definitely a plus!
52. Jessica Chastain
Red-headed bombshell Jessica Chastain has been vegan for over 15 years, despite not being very vocal about it.
The actress initially adopted a plant-based diet to improve her health but has since expressed environmental and animal welfare concerns associated with meat, dairy and egg consumption.
Speaking about her journey to veganism, she told W Magazine that “immediately I just had more energy than I’ve ever had in my life” when she went vegan.
She is an investor in Beyond Meat and even bought her mother a vegan food truck to live out her dream as a vegan chef.
Now that’s true dedication to the vegan cause!
53. Daryl Hannah
Actress Daryl Hannah went vegetarian aged 11 after she discovered some cows she met would be slaughtered the next day.
“I literally lost the ability to disassociate what was on my plate from the creature it had been,” she said.
As well as being an animal lover, Hannah is passionate about the environment too. In recent years, she has gone vegan in a bid to combat climate change.
54. Morrissey
(Photo Martin Bernetti/AFP via Getty Images)
When it comes to vegan celebrities, few have been vegan as long as British singer Morrissey.
Morrissey is not afraid of speaking his mind when it comes to veganism, even declaring that “vegans are superior beings”.
The controversial songwriter first went vegetarian aged 11 before cutting out animal products entirely at the turn of the 2010s, according to The Telegraph.
Speaking about his plant-based diet, Morrissey explained that “I refuse to eat anything that had a mother, that’s obvious.”
Instead, the musician prefers to stick to a diet of “bread, potatoes, pasta and nuts… all stodge.”
Not only is Morrissey vegan, but he’s also a vocal animal rights advocate too. Morrissey even famously penned a heart-wrenching song entitled ‘Meat Is Murder’ decades ago as the former frontman of rock band The Smiths.
55. Jared Leto
American actor and musician Jared Leto is another vegan celebrity who has been vegan way before it became mainstream.
In fact, Leto has been vegan for over 20 years and credits his plant-based diet for his youthful appearance.
Speaking about his diet in Rolling Stone in July 2016, Leto said: “I’m pretty healthy – I’ve been that way for a long time. Twenty solid years of eating vegetarian/vegan and taking care of myself. That probably helps the preservation process.”
The star has also previously given fans a look inside his pantry, where he revealed that Uncle Eddie’s vegan peanut butter chocolate chip cookies are his guilty pleasure!
