We all know that veganism has been around for thousands of years, but the movement that we love is certainly growing faster than ever of late. Just look at the amount of vegan celebrities there are these days!
Dozens of celebrities are now embracing the vegan lifestyle along with the millions of regular folk worldwide, so we thought it would be a great idea to give them a shout out here on Happy Happy Vegan.
So, grab a cuppa and enjoy our list of famous vegans!
Stevie Wonder
Stevie Wonder doesn’t need a whole lot of introducing. If ever there was a superstar, he is it. The American giant of soul is now a full-blown vegan after many years as a vegetarian, and he loves it so much he even started singing its praises on The Late, Late Show with James Cordon.
Ellen Page
The X-Men superstar is certainly one to embrace the vegan lifestyle and she’s pretty outspoken about the practice of factory farming, too. Add to that the fact that she was named the Sexiest Vegan by PETA back in 2014 and you have one of our very favorite vegan celebrities in the world right now.
Alec Baldwin
Actor Alec Baldwin is a strong advocate for animal rights and has long been associated with organisations such as PETA, even narrating their 2002 Meet Your Meat video which highlighted the barbaric nature of factory farming, bringing the unethical treatment of animals reared for food to a wider audience.
CHECK OUT WHAT ALEC HAS TO SAY IN OUR VEGAN QUOTES POST!
Russell Brand
Comedian and all-round shaker-upper, Russell Brand is now a fully-fledged vegan after a long stint as a vegetarian. Brand, when questioned about his decision to go fully vegan, said, “I don’t see why someone should lose their life so I can have a snack.”
Sums it up nicely, doesn’t it?
Miley Cyrus
The former Hannah Montana star has been vegan since 2014 when her much loved dog, Floyd, passed away. She took a while to come out and speak about her decision to ditch all animal products but is now bringing the merits of adopting a vegan lifestyle to an audience that may have otherwise never given it a second thought.
Love her or hate her, you’ve got to admire the aggressive stance that she takes on so many social issues. Vegan celebrities don’t come much bigger than Miss Cyrus, so it can only be a good thing for the vegan lifestyle.
Woody Harrelson
Woody Harrelson owns the world’s first vegan organic beer garden. If that isn’t enough to make you love the former Cheers star, the fact that he is also a staunch raw vegan himself may just sway you.
Carl Lewis
The former track and field superstar claims that the vegan diet allows him to eat greater quantities of food without affecting his overall athletic ability – who wouldn’t want that?
Lewis has been vegan since 1990 and gained many of his athletic personal bests whilst meat free.
Demi Moore
If you want to look as good as Demi Moore does when you’re well into your fifties, veganism is the way to go.
The world-famous vegan actress credits her amazing looks and good health to the meat free life – what an inspiration to women everywhere!
James Cameron
Oscar-winning director James Cameron has been an environmental advocate for years, and now he’s a huge advocate for the vegan lifestyle and the difference it can make to planet we all live on.
Natalie Portman
Despite the 2011 headlines and furore surrounding the actress’s pregnancy and dairy intake, Natalie Portman is indeed 100% vegan. She looks pretty good on it too, doesn’t she?
RELATED: BEST VEGAN PRENATAL SUPPLEMENTS
Alan Cumming OBE
Alan Cumming has been maintaining a vegan diet since 2012 and is rather outspoken about his diet and promoting a healthier way of living. He even claims to have “vegan powers”!
If his demanding schedule is anything to go by, his lifestyle is certainly delivering the goods.
Petra Němcová
Sexy vegan celebrities keep on coming!
If you were going to invent the perfect poster girl for veganism, then Petra Němcová would be it.
The stunningly beautiful Czech supermodel, who has been eating vegan since 2007, is very environmentally aware and a great example to all who follow her.
Bryan Adams
The Canadian singer/songwriter has been vegan since 1989 and has frequently shown support for animal rights and environmental groups such as Greenpeace and PETA.
He has a motto that a lot of people would do well to heed, “If you love animals, don’t eat them”. Pretty simple, huh?
Al Gore
Former vice president Gore recently stated that he intended to stay vegan “for life” after trying the diet out and feeling so much better than he did previously.
He had been aware of the environmental impact of eating meat and dairy for some time, but the transition to a full vegan diet didn’t happen until 2013. However, he claims that moving over to a plant based diet was more of an “experiment to see what it was like”.
We’re glad the experiment worked out for you, sir.
Michelle Pfeiffer
The Hollywood star has been maintaining a vegan diet since 2012 and she isn’t shy in expressing her reasons for adopting the plant based way.
The seemingly ageless superstar admits that the health benefits associated with veganism were the number one reason to give the lifestyle a try but she also adds that, “Vanity is right under there”. We admire your candidness, Michelle!
Morrissey
The gladioli wielding Mancunian musician went fully vegan in 2015 after decades as a vegetarian.
Despite years of singing Meat is Murder, Morrissey has taken his time to adopt the vegan lifestyle but we are absolutely delighted that he finally has.
Benjamin Zephaniah
As honorary patron of The Vegan Society, Benjamin Zephaniah is a huge advocate of adopting a plant based diet instead of slaughtering animals for food.
The British Rastafarian poet has been vegan for over 30 years, despite liking the smell when he walks past a fish and chip shop. That being said, he’s never once felt tempted and simply goes home to “make vegan chips” instead.
Alicia Silverstone
The Hollywood actress has taken veganism so much to heart that she has even launched her own website, The Kind Life.
Alicia took on the vegan lifestyle after watching a documentary on how animals were raised and slaughtered for food when she was 21 and hasn’t looked back since.
Russell Simmons
The hip hop mogul and devout yogi has been a vegan for almost 20 years.
He’s also the author of the bestselling book, The Happy Vegan. Why, if you had added another Happy to the title, Russell, you’d have had a great name 🙂
Joaquin Phoenix
Unlike most of us, Joaquin Phoenix cannot remember being anything but vegan.
The Hollywood star has been living on a plant based diet since the age of three, dispelling the ridiculous myth that humans cannot live a healthy lifestyle without meat and dairy.
Moby
Moby has been vegan since 1987, mainly due to his love of animals. However, since first taking up the lifestyle his reasons for continuing have deepened.
Now, like so many of us who love the vegan way, his reasons are threefold: animal welfare, the environment and his own health. With reasons like that, it kind of makes you wonder why we’re still in the minority, doesn’t it?
Anthony Kiedis
The Red Hot Chilli Peppers frontman decided to go vegan in 2008 after learning about the rapidly depleting fish stocks in the oceans across the world.
Just after making his decision, he also came across some documentary footage showing the evils of factory farming and said that that ultimately “sealed the deal”.
Leona Lewis
Leona Lewis was listed by PETA as the World’s Sexiest Vegetarian alongside the aforementioned Anthony Kiedis back in 2008 and has since transitioned to a full vegan lifestyle.
The British singer reportedly turned down a £800,000 deal with upmarket retailers, Harrods, in the same year after learning that they were still selling fur products from the Knightsbridge store. Good on you, Leona.
Simon Amstell
Another compassionate Brit, Simon Amstell, has been a vegan for some time, and in his utterly brilliant 2012 stand up, Numb, he delivered the classic lines:
“I would like to be in the future now, or somewhere else, so I could look back at this time and say, ‘Do you remember when people drank milk from other species?'”
“‘Do you remember when people got upset when their pets died? But then when other animals died…they ate them!'”
Berry Gordy
Berry Gordy, the man behind Motown, is a vegan and puts his continued good health down to the life he leads and the food that he eats.
In case you were wondering, Mr. Gordy is 86 years of age. Looking good, sir.
Daniel Negreanu
Canadian poker superstar, Daniel Negreanu claims that being vegan makes him a better player at the tables. With six World Series of Poker bracelets to his name, he’d know something about performance.
Since taking his diet seriously and going vegan in 2006, Negreanu says that he feels great and is better equipped to deal with the new breed of fitter, more knowledgeable poker pros that are on the circuit these days.
Sinead O’Connor
The Irish singer has never been one to shy away from controversy, but she hasn’t been overly vocal about her veganism…and why should she be? We all know that it’s the most natural thing in the world, right?
Kat Von D
The LA Ink star has been banging the vegan drum for on her Instagram feed recently and also promotes a cruelty free makeup line. She also credits her plant based diet for the clear skin that has been seen in thousands of images since she first hit our screens back in 2007.
Michael Franti
The Spearhead frontman has been a vocal advocate of the vegan lifestyle since becoming inspired by his son to adopt a plant based way of living.
His music has always had a social conscience and it’s great to see a celebrity being an active activist rather than simply doing it because its currently cool. Take note, Beyonce!
Casey Affleck
Casey Affleck may be better known for his movie skills, but he is also a committed vegan and animal rights campaigner, too.
He once took part in a public service announcement for PETA about the abuse of animals in the meat industry that all of the major television networks refused to air.
Chrissie Hynde
The Pretenders dynamo once had her own vegan restaurant and has long been a campaigner for animal rights and supporter of PETA.
In 2002, Hynde also appeared in the Respect for Animals advertisement ‘Fur and Against’. Another famous face in our list of vegan celebrities.
Peter Siddle
Aussie cricket star, Peter Siddle turned vegan back in 2013 and the change in diet enabled him to be the only player to play in every Ashes Test in the same year, despite being given a exhausting workload by the Australia A team.
Steve-O
The Jackass star could probably be one of the most unlikely vegans on the list when you consider his lifestyle back when the boys first hit the nation’s screens.
Now, however, Steve-O has cleaned up his act and is a committed vegan and animal rights campaigner. He narrated the 2012 film, What Came Before, highlighting the plight of factory farmed animals.
Nicole Lapin
The former CNBC and CNN news anchor has been a vegetarian since her youth and a vegan since 2002, despite most of her colleagues not believing it.
“When you’re out in the field, most of your meal options involve meat with a side of something fried. I’ve learned how to be creative and improvise and can eat anywhere – even a steak house or a gas station” she said.
Peter Ebdon
British snooker sensation, Peter Ebdon has always known the merits of keeping fit in what few would consider to be a physical sport.
Ebdon has always had extreme focus and determination, but since transitioning to a vegan diet the former World Champion says that his concentration has improved no end.
Portia de Rossi
The Australian actress apparently had an aha! moment that led her down the vegan path. That was back in 2008, when de Rossi moved to a farm in California with her wife, Ellen DeGeneres, and she hasn’t looked back since.
Sandra Oh
The Canadian actress and star of the hit show, Grey’s Anatomy believes that being vegan is far more than just a dietary issue, it’s a full-on lifestyle choice, and we couldn’t agree more.
She has regularly taken fellow cast members to vegan restaurants to show them just how tasty and healthy the plant based life can be. We salute you Sandra!
Carrie Underwood
The country music star has been a vegan for a few years now and admits that she isn’t the militant type when it comes to living the lifestyle, but she has helped raise awareness on some important issues.
Back in 2013, Underwood spoke out against the “Ag Gag bill” in Tennessee that made it a crime to film animal abuse or cruelty without turning it over to the authorities within 48 hours, preventing animal rights activists from gathering enough evidence to build a case against the abusers.
Georges Laraque
NHL Veteran, Georges Laraque proudly states on his website that he has been vegan since Jun 1, 2009. He also goes on to say that he has never felt better or more healthy than he does now.
Pamela Anderson
It may come as a shock to some, but Pammy is a vegan, alright. She has been an active member of PETA for many years and even has her own vegan cookery site over at thesensualvegan.com
Ted Danson
Another former Cheers vegan (along with number six on our list, Woody Harrelson) is none other than Mr. Ted Danson.
He changed his diet initially to give himself an energy boost whilst working on CSI, but says that he feels so good that he intends to keep up his new regime. Let’s hope he does!
David Haye
Vegans are all weaklings are they? Try telling David Haye that. The professional boxer from London is a former world champion in two weight classes and regarded by many as one of the finest boxers of his generation.
Haye became vegan in 2014 after watching a TV documentary on the food industry and proves that vegan celebrities can be strong as well as sexy.
Johnny Marr
The former Smiths guitarist has been vegan since 2005 and reckons that it’s far easier to be vegan in the US than it is in Europe.
Marr moved to Portland, Oregon that same year and credits the city’s liberal and modern attitude to his transition. Keep up the good work Johnny!
Jenny McCarthy
Jenny McCarthy is still looking fabulous in her forties, and it’s all thanks to her gluten-free vegan lifestyle, she says.
The model turned actress claims to have a lot more energy and has even lost a few pounds…not that she really needed to!
Christie Brinkley
The model and actress may be in her sixties, but she still looks as good as ever thanks largely to her healthy lifestyle.
Although she admits to having the very occasional oyster, Brinkley hasn’t eaten either meat or dairy for the majority of her life.
She has also recently launched an entirely vegan skincare line under the name, Christie Brinkley Authentic Skincare.
Geezer Butler
Heavy metal legend Geezer Butler was raised as a vegetarian and has been a full vegan for around twenty years.
“Ted Nugent is the opposite of me”, he says. You’re the one who’s got it right, Geezer.
Ellie Goulding
The English singer/songwriter is a committed vegan and fitness fanatic. She credits chef Mary Mattern with keeping her on the vegan path.
She once said about Mattern, “Whether you are vegan or just wanting a healthier diet, Mary’s recipes will guarantee to keep your food really delicious and fun.”
Famke Janssen
The former fashion model turned actress has been on a plant based diet since 2014 and puts her veganism down to having an affinity with animals.
She has also recently spoken out about the dangers of drinking from plastic water bottles, both because of the damage that they do to the environment and the chemical “leakage” that can transfer from the plastic to the water itself.
Jared Leto
A huge supporter of animal rights and committed vegan, Jared Leto is vocal on a wide range of social issues.
Leto puts his youthful looks and lean body down to a combination of a plant based, whole food diet and yoga. Whatever he’s doing, it’s certainly working for him!
So, there you have it – 49 vegan celebrities that are doing their bit to spread the word and put veganism even more on the map than it is already.
Did we miss anyone out in our list of famous vegans? Let us know who your favourite is in the comments section below.
About The Author:
Lisa Williams
Lisa Williams is a committed vegan, passionate animal welfare advocate, and keen follower of too many v-friendly food blogs to mention. She started happyhappyvegan.com back in 2016 because she felt there was a need for more straightforward information on plant-based living.
Back then, too many sites seem to either concentrate solely on recipes or be too intimidating or inaccessible for the v-curious, and she wanted to change that. The landscape is certainly a whole lot different now!
Novak Djokovic: not only embraces the vegan lifestyle, but has also opened a vegan restaurant to promote it. Picture would also be appreciated !! ❤
Unlike Novak, we clearly took our eye off the ball with this one! Thanks for pointing it out to us Angie, and isn’t it great that the list of people (both celebrity and otherwise) going vegan is growing?! Here’s a pic of the great man for you.