Share
Veganism teaches everyone to stay benevolent to animals and not treat them as a liability. After witnessing gruesome and horrendous tortures conducted on animals in poultry, agricultural and medical science industries, many turned vegan. This soon became a movement and people from all around the world started revolting against them and pledged to boycott products made using animals.
Supporting this noble cause, several celebrities also promoted the vegan movement and committed their lives to animal welfare. Thanks to them, what once looked like an unorthodox movement gained momentum and spread all across the world turning people to support this change. Celebrities not only promoted it but also demonstrated how a vegan diet can be way better than a non-vegetarian diet. They also showed how animal products can be easily replaced with plant-based products.
From supporting the cause to making it viable, celebrities have played a huge role in shedding light towards animal abuse and showcasing the importance of plants in the diet. Apart from this, many had their own personal and interesting reasons for switching towards a plant-based diet.
Know What Led These Top Celebrities To Go Vegan
Joaquin Phoenix
Joaquin Phoenix, named one of the greatest actors of the 21st century, is not only known for his talent but also for his kind personality. Despite the negative roles that are portrayed in movies, Phoenix is a kind person with a passion for animal rights in his heart. At the age of 3, Phoenix went vegan after witnessing the violent killing of fish. His continued advocacy stemmed from a lifelong commitment to animal welfare. In his 2020 Oscar speech, he condemned the dairy industry. During the 2019–20 Oscar season, amid protests for animal rights, Phoenix led a behind-the-scenes initiative that led to five events changing to vegetarian fare. This started with the Golden Globes awards.
Image Credit: Instagram
Billie Eilish
Billie Eilish, beyond her musical talent, is also praised for her strong stance on environmental and animal welfare issues. Eilish went vegan at a very young age because of her love for animals. She often uses her platform to advocate for veganism and raise awareness about the ethical concerns of animal agriculture. In 2018, she posted on Tumblr that she loves animals and showed resentment towards animal abuse, asking everyone to leave the animals alone. She also promoted a plant-based diet on Instagram the same year and often shares her favourite vegan recipes in her Instagram highlights titled “Little Recipes.”
John Abraham
John Abraham, widely praised for his performance in Bollywood movies, believes that an animal-based diet is not required to maintain good health. Being a fitness role model, John Abraham perfectly demonstrated how one can build up muscles and maintain good health despite being dependent on meat and animal-based products to consume adequate amounts of nutrients. His affection for animals led him to turn vegan and he also favours animal rights actively. He also starred in a 'Mercy for Animals' Ad campaign, encouraging people to stop animal cruelty. In July 2023, he posted a video requesting Prime Minister Modi to change the Animal Protection Act and passionately pleaded for the nation to safeguard animals.
Sonakshi Sinha
Driven by her love and adoration for animals, Sonakshi Sinha adopted a vegan lifestyle and claimed that a vegan diet has helped her a lot during her weight loss journey. Rising awareness among her fans, she frequently speaks on animal rights and condemns the abuse of animals in industries. Putting a light on the major issues in the poultry industry, she encourages everyone to turn vegan. She also demonstrated how a vegan diet has helped her during her weight loss journey and boosted her metabolism.
Ricky Gervais
Driven by his staunch animal rights advocacy, Ricky Gervais also joined forces with the vegan movement and has been vocal about animal welfare issues. His passion and love for animals are truly shown in his social media activism and campaigns against animal cruelty. He also collaborated with the Humane Society for projects like the animated short film Save Ralph, which is based on a Rabbit named Ralph who gets frequently abused for animal testing. He regularly posts quotes and memes on social media platforms and has spoken out against festivals and sports that use animals.
Image Credit: Ricky Gervais | Instagram
Tobey Maguire
Influenced by his lifelong aversion to meat and a commitment to cruelty-free living, Tobey Maguire went vegan in 2009. He has been a vegetarian since 1992, after which he went completely vegan. In several interviews, he openly discussed his vegan lifestyle and explained that knowing the treatment of animals in industrial farms, he cannot defend the use of meat in his diet. He said it was never hard for him to be dependent on a plant-based diet and highlighted its benefits. Maguire is a lifelong supporter of animal rights organisations such as the Farm Sanctuary and the Humane Society of the United States. Additionally, he has participated in other efforts to increase public awareness of animal abuse.
Natalie Portman
Inspired by Tobey Maguire's vegan lifestyle, Natalie Portman went vegan in 2008. She was driven by her concern for animal welfare and discomfort with using animal products. She actively promotes the diversity of vegan diets through cooking videos while investing in sustainable alternatives like vegan leather made from mushrooms.
These Celebrities inspired millions to go vegan and condemned the use of animal products. This Veganuary, if you are looking to adopt a vegan diet but are clouded by the what ifs and what nots, vegan celebrities will give you better motivation and will make you stick to your goals and be a part of this noble cause.
