15 Celebs Who Refuse to Eat Meat
Whether they've been vegan for their whole life or are just getting started, many of the stars you know and love refuse to eat meat and other animal-based products. For some, it's a matter of animal rights; for others, it was a life-or-death situation that prompted a dietary change.
Here's what 15 celebrities you'll probably recognize have to say about saying no to eating animals.
And for more, check out these 15 Classic American Desserts That Deserve a Comeback.
Joaquin Phoenix
One of the most recognizable faces in Hollywood is also one of the biggest activists for veganism. To Brut, he recalled the experience on a cargo ship at an early age that changed his life forever: "I've been vegan since I was three years old. And at that age, me and my siblings witnessed fish being killed in a really violent and aggressive way. It was just absolutely obvious that that was something we didn't want to participate in. I don't want to cause pain to another living, empathetic creature."
Billie Eilish
The Grammy Award-winning singer grew up in the Los Angeles area in a vegetarian home but transitioned to veganism in 2014. In June 2019, after sharing horrifying footage from a dairy farm, she spoke up in a lengthy Instagram Story statement, writing in part: "I understand that meat tastes good… and I know you think you're just one person and it 'won't change anything if you stop.' But that's ignorant and stupid."
Shannon Elizabeth
In a section on her website, the American Pie star explained how she flip-flopped between sticking with a vegetarian diet for much of her teen years before settling on a vegan lifestyle: "Once I knew a few facts and connected with the world and food I was eating, everything changed for me. I became conscious of what was going into my body. … I started exploring being vegan. In reality, I was often vegan already anyway. I rarely ate cheese, eggs, or milk. It was really only if I went to a restaurant and cheese was on something and I felt I just couldn't avoid it." And after experiencing being vegan, Elizabeth never went back.
Lizzo
Lizzo is feeling "Good As Hell" on her vegan diet! The singer only recently transitioned to a meat-free life and has been documenting much of her journey on TikTok via 'what I eat in a day' videos. Though she hasn't explained the exact reasoning for the lifestyle switch, she's loving the journey so far. "As a new vegan, I'm enjoying exploring flavors from plants & plant-based proteins! Every journey is personal & deserves to be celebrated," she wrote on TikTok.
Daniella Monet
Actress and investor Daniella Monet has been vegan for most of her life and is raising her kids the same today. She shared with Plant Based News the experience that changed the course of eating for the rest of her life: "I went vegetarian at about five-years-old when I visited a Dude Ranch with my family and saw a rodeo. It was traumatizing and I made a conscious decision at that age to never eat animals again. When I started middle school, I read a book that exposed a lot of the truth about the food industry and encouraged a healthful lifestyle through a guide to living vegan. It was a mostly simple transition that made me feel so much better about myself, inside and out."
Kevin Smith
A near-death experience in February 2018 brought Kevin Smith to his knees—and over to the meat-free side—on the advice of his doctor. The comic book aficionado dropped a significant amount of weight and changed his lifestyle completely following his massive heart attack, he shared with his Instagram followers six months after almost losing his life. "Six months ago from right now, I was in the hospital recovering from a heart attack I'd had the night before," Smith wrote on Instagram. "So this wasn't a diet: these results came from a total lifestyle change of eating solely plant-based foods (which is tough because I hate vegetables)." Of course, going vegan may not lead to weight loss for everyone, but in Smith's case, the lifestyle change did wonders for him.
Alicia Silverstone
Ugh, as if Alicia Silverstone could ever eat meat! The Clueless star explained to LIVEKINDLY how she transitioned to a vegan diet around age 21: "I had a realization that I was an animal lover eating animals and it didn't feel ok to be aware of the terrible reality behind the animal agriculture industry and condone them by actively participating in it with a non-vegan diet. I realized that until I stopped purchasing animal products, the suffering would never end."
Finneas
Like his sister, Billie Eilish, musician Finneas O'Connell is also vegan and proud of it! While shouting out Support + Feed, an initiative developed by his mother during the coronavirus pandemic to provide plant-based meals, the musician wrote on his Instagram Story: "It's so good, it's honestly like so criminally easy to be vegan right now you have no excuse not to."
Venus Williams
The tennis pro "went from zero to 1,000" after switching to a plant-based diet following her diagnosis with Sjögren's syndrome, an autoimmune disorder with symptoms including inflammation. She told EatingWell about her new lifestyle, which has improved her symptoms: "It was such a long journey, and I feel like it's a journey that I'm constantly on, trying new things and quite honestly making mistakes and eating the wrong things."
Harley Quinn Smith
Before she became an aide in helping her dad Kevin Smith go vegan, Harley went vegan herself after adopting her rescue bunny, Cinnamon Bun. She told LIVEKINDLY that it "would be very hypocritical to continue living my life in a way that contributed to animal cruelty when I saw firsthand what human compassion can do to an animal."
Woody Harrelson
Despite approaching 60, the legendary actor is feeling (and looking) better than ever, and he credits much of that to a mostly raw diet. "Diet is crucial, though. I eat vegan, but I eat mostly raw. If I have a cooked meal, I feel my energy drop. So when I first started shifting my diet, it wasn't as much a moral or an ethical pursuit but an energetic pursuit," he told InStyle.
Madelaine Petsch
As a lifelong vegan, Petsch wants to share with her fanbase how easy it can be to go vegan despite what you may think. "People make it seem like it's so difficult," the Riverdale star said to Elle. "I want to teach people how positive and easy it is to be vegan—I don't want to make it seem like it's this big feat."
Evanna Lynch
You might recognize Evanna for her role in the Harry Potter series, but today she's making a name for herself on the vegan scene. The Kinder Beauty Box founder told The Beet how she transitioned to veganism after going vegetarian at age 11: "I believe animals deserve equal respect as humans, that their lives are their own and our only role in their lives should be as caretakers and companions, where they need it. The more I read about veganism, the more I realized the lifestyle fit with who I am. I feel a lot more comfortable and at peace with myself since I made this transition."
Leona Lewis
For singer Leona Lewis, it was a moment in her childhood that prompted a change, she told Metro: "I would go to farms lot with my mum when I was younger to look at the animals—chickens and pigs—and I began to realize that I was eating those same farm animals I loved to go to feed and to be around all the time. I remember saying to my mum I just would not eat it anymore. I stopped when I was about six or seven." Prior to going fully vegan, she went back and forth on a vegetarian diet but is now fully vegan.
Mayim Bialik
After offering a primer on the animal agriculture industry in a 2016 video on her YouTube channel, The Big Bang Theory star explained that though she did not grow up vegan, her "hope is that one day we'll get closer to a more ethical balance for all. Until then, I'm vegan."
