Celebrities You Didn’t Know Are (Mostly) Vegan
It’s not a fad, it’s not new, but it’s most definitely a trend, a trend that isn’t looking to go anywhere. Many are switching to veganism for several different reasons, between the growth rate of dietary intolerances and food allergies, people who are fighting against the use of animals for food, and those who opt for this diet for health purposes. The vegan diet is here to stay.
In the US alone, veganism has reportedly grown 500% since 2014, with about 6% of American’s considering themselves vegan. With all those people, there’s bound to be some celebrities on board. Veganism definitely gets a boost from some big names, some using their celebrity status to raise awareness, fund and produce documentaries on the subject and share their own stories. While many celebs are public about their love for the vegan diet, many also stay quiet about it. So which well-known celebrities are dedicated vegans, and which ones are vegan-ish? Read on to find out.
1. Ellen Degeneres
Not all that surprising that animal lover and advocate, Ellen Degeneres along with her wife Portia de Rossi are both huge fans of the vegan diet. They even influenced chef Roberto Martin to start enjoying the vegan diet, which he then did quite successfully, along with some cookbooks.
Ellen, however, has come under fire for eating backyard chicken eggs and making jokes about eating fish, admitting she has had it occasionally. So while Ellen may dabble in outside activity from the vegan diet, she’s still one of the leading voices in the movement in the past decade.
2. Mike Tyson
Mike Tyson went onto the Oprah special “Where Are They Now?” back in 2014 and shared some pretty big revelations about his health and his incredible 100lb weight loss.
Tyson attributed his new found body health to a vegan diet, as well as some anti-aging benefits along the way. He’s been a true advocate for athletes to adapt to a plant-based diet successfully.
3. Sia
Singer Sia is incredibly private about a lot of her life, most notably her face. So it’s no surprise that fans only caught on to her vegan diet when she replied to a tweet stating that she was “fully vegan now”.
Sia has reported been a vegan since 2014! She may stay private about a lot of things, including her diet – but she certainly has much to be proud of for her lifestyle choices.
4. Ariana Grande
Pop sensation Ariana Grande is probably the front-runner for millennial vegans. With her audience ranging from pre-teens to adult, all eyes are on her and certainly inspired by the messages she speaks.
The former TV turned pop singer reportedly follows a “macrobiotic vegan diet” which involves a lot of whole grains, nuts, vegetables, fruit & legumes. Not only has Grande chosen the vegan diet for health purposes, but has expressed it is because of her love for animals.
5. Miley Cyrus
Always a little outspoken, Miley Cyrus has refined herself over the years, putting all of that energy into good causes like sharing health advice along with working as an advocate for animals.
Miley is well known for taking her veganism thoughts and feelings to social media, especially on her Instagram. While sometimes a little outspoken, her heart seems to be in the right place.
6.Liam Hemsworth
Truly no surprise that the hunky Liam Hemsworth would be vegan. Why? Well his fiance Miley Cyrus, of course!
The couple together has 7 dogs, a pig and cats too – mainly rescues, something the couple is incredibly passionate about. Their love for animals truly transformed their lives, in more ways than just their diets!
7. Pamela Anderson
Pam Anderson is no quiet vegan. An advocate for PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) she has often lent her voice and modeling talents to promoting veganism as a whole lifestyle.
Speaking out against fur and eating meat and animal byproducts, Anderson has often done some scandalous ad campaigns on behalf of PETA to help get her message across.
8. James Cameron
The well-known director of Titanic and Avatar has taken a new career focus into his new upcoming documentary, Gamechangers. Gamechangers highlights stories of athletes who have taken to a vegan diet, and share their stories.
A vegan himself, Cameron has leveraged his celebrity voice and directorial talents to make a film with what will likely be giving many some food for thought.
9. Usher
In support of his 10-year old son, who is a vegetarian, Usher became a vegan about 5 years ago. But the story didn’t end there.
Usher appears to be a bit of a “fair-weather” vegan, admitting that he found the vegan diet too expensive (huh?) and was more inclined to vegetarianism. Additionally – he’s admitted to eating meat on the rare occasion as well. While this would certainly disqualify him from vegan status, his long-standing relationship with veganism is definitely worth noting on this list.
10. Ellie Goulding
British pop star, Ellie Goulding is a long-time vegetarian who recently took steps to become fully veganized! Dropping eggs, dairy, and honey from her diet.
A huge fan of smoothies and protein shakes, she promotes being athletic and vegan, noting that her awareness about vegan protein sources has been a huge part of her understanding about what her body needed to survive, and doing so without meat.
11. Jenna Dewan
After watching a documentary when she was just 10 years old, Jenna ditched meat the next day, and never looked back. She notes that it made her feel good morally, and physically
Even though her now estranged husband, Channing Tatum, is not a vegan, he always remained supportive of his wife. Their daughter Evie is also a vegetarian and loves it. While Jenna does note that she’s “mostly vegan” with some occasional dabbles into her then-husband’s cooking.
12. J Lo
Actress/Singer Jennifer Lopez (J Lo) went on a 22-day vegan cleanse and then decided to make it her lifestyle. Jennifer credits her weight loss and seemingly never aging skin to her plant-based diet.
The tricky part is, in the last few years there hasn’t been a whole lot more that J Lo has said about her love for the vegan diet. Whether or not she’s still a part of it – she is a supportive fan regardless! We think…
13. Jared Leto
Jared Leto attributes his youthful looks to a vegan diet. At age 46, he looks like he’s barely 30. Sleep and diet, he said in an interview with Rolling Stone magazine. That diet he speaks of? Is plant-based.
Leto jokes that he’s actually a “cheagan” which is what he considers a cheating vegan. One that when at a friends house will eat a cookie or eat fresh fish in the wild.
14. Bill Clinton
In 2016, Bill Clinton made the bold statement that “going vegan has kept me alive”. With a history of heart problems, Clinton went vegan in 2010 after undoing emergency surgery, which was not his first heart surgery (he had a quadruple coronary bypass surgery in 2004). Since his vegan diet, he has not had an artery clog.
While his doctor did recommend he implement salmon into his diet once a week, he noted he could do without it.
15. Carrie Underwood
Another celeb that falls into the “mostly vegan” category is none other than the talented country music singer, Carrie Underwood.
Underwood explains that she transitioned slowly while experimenting with the vegan diet before truly diving in. While she notes she would love to be a full-time vegan, with her travel and no full options available yet, she occasionally will have eggs for breakfast.
16. Joaquin Pheonix
Joaquin Pheonix is probably one of the biggest success stories in the history of veganism because Joaquin became a vegan at just age 3.
The actor works alongside PETA hoping to educate the masses about the meat industry. In 2017, the Netflix documentary What The Health was released, with executive producer, Joaquin Pheonix behind it. The movie changed the minds and diets of so many, as they began to switch over to a plant-based diet for their health.
17. Leonardo DiCaprio
Another big documentary that changed the diets of millions would be Cowspiracy, a film produced by Leonardo DiCaprio. The film focused on not just eating meat, dairy, and eggs, but the industry in which they come from and their devastating toll on our planet.
While Leo is a huge advocate of vegan meat, even investing personally into the growing brand Beyond Meat, he’s yet to confirm that he’s vegan himself, but is known to be a long-time vegetarian.
18. Al Gore
Former Vice President, Al Gore rose to post-White House fame when he began his crusade for the planet, global warming and the environment in general.
Since the vegan diet is the most friendly to our environment, it’s no surprise that Gore is adhering to the diet as part of his daily lifestyle.
19. Peter Dinklage
Game of Thrones star became a vegetarian when he was in his teens because of his love for animals, and a girl he was into at the time. No clue where the girl went but stayed with it for his respect for animals.
He’s now fully vegan and has worked with PETA to help expose and raise awareness about the meat and dairy industry. He’s not the only Game of Thrones actor to be vegan, co-star Nathalie Emmanual (plays Missandei) is also a 5-year vegan.
20. Arnold Schwartzenneger
One thing that the Arnold said “Hasta la Vista” to in recent years? MEAT. The bodybuilder, actor, and governor of California has ditched meat with the guidance of his doctors.
However, Schwartzenneger has been dairy-free for over 40 years! Now teaming up with James Cameron on their new documentary, Gamechangers, to help educate on the meat and dairy industries detrimental impact on not only your body, but the planet.
21. Venus Williams
Venus Williams sadly suffers from an auto-immune disease which makes her diet so incredibly important. Her disease, Sjögren’s syndrome, was diagnosed in 2011 and almost ended her career with it’s crippling fatigue and body pain.
After following a raw vegan diet (eliminating all animal products and food cooked above 118 degrees F) Venus was able to begin to heal her body and it even allowed her to step back onto the court. She feels this diet is fueling her body in the best way possible. Food as medicine is truly remarkable.
22. Drake
Up for discussion, due to his fashion attire – but Drake is now (potentially) vegan! Many argue he’s just a vegetarian since he hasn’t given up all animal products, we’re rooting for him as he adjusts to a new way of life!
With Drake being such a highly influential celebrity, there’s a lot of people rooting for him to finally make the announcement and say “I’m a vegan”. Until then, way to go, Drake!
23. Zac Efron
A newcomer to the pack, High School Musical alum, now famed Hollywood actor and heart-throb, Zac Efron, has been making an effort to take better care of himself. He’s doing that by experimenting with a purely vegan diet.
He told Teen Vogue “I’ve been experimenting with eating purely vegan. That’s completely changed the way that my body works, and the way that I metabolize food, the way it turns into energy, the way that I sleep. It’s been brilliant. It’s been great for my exercise, and great for my routine.”. Let’s hope he sticks with it!
