20 Stars Who Went Vegan and the Real Reasons Behind It

Joaquin Phoenix

Joaquin Phoenix has been vegan since early childhood, after witnessing fish being killed in a way that deeply disturbed him and his siblings. He’s remained committed despite Hollywood pressure, using major moments to highlight animal suffering, most famously in his 2020 Oscars acceptance speech, where he criticised cruelty tied to the dairy industry and urged people to choose plant-based foods.

Billie Eilish

Billie Eilish grew up vegetarian and later chose to go fully vegan, often using her platform to challenge animal agriculture. She’s been direct about her motivation: she loves animals and doesn’t want them harmed for food. Over the years, she has encouraged fans to think harder about what they support, including sharing disturbing footage from a dairy farm to spotlight what she sees as cruelty.

Rainn Wilson

Rainn Wilson’s real-life diet is the opposite of his meat-loving The Office character, Dwight Schrute. Wilson became vegan after a surprisingly emotional moment involving his rescue pigs. During a 2017 talk show appearance, he explained that while eating bacon, he looked at his pigs and felt the contradiction, he cared for them deeply, so why eat animals like them? That was the turning point that pushed him to go vegan.

Elliot Page

Elliot Page has followed a vegan lifestyle for around a decade and has been recognised for it publicly, including being named PETA’s “World’s Sexiest Vegan” in 2014. Page’s approach is grounded in ethics, and he has spoken about how industrial farming reduces animals and nature to objects for profit. Years ago, he questioned why vegans are mocked, especially when the realities of factory farming are widely known.

Lewis Hamilton

Lewis Hamilton went vegan in 2017, partly to support athletic performance and partly out of concern for the environment. He’s also brought vegan choices into business by co-founding Neat Burger, a plant-based burger chain that launched in London and expanded quickly. Hamilton’s vegan lifestyle even extends to his beloved bulldog Roscoe, who reportedly saw health improvements after switching to a vegan diet.

Tobey Maguire

Tobey Maguire’s veganism feels deeply ingrained rather than adopted. He’s talked about struggling to eat meat even as a child, long before he became vegetarian in the early ’90s. Going fully vegan later on felt like a logical extension of discomfort that had always been there. He’s also influenced others without trying to, with Natalie Portman crediting him as her inspiration for going vegan.

Natalie Portman

Spending time around Tobey Maguire made her rethink what she was eating, especially when she realised how much animal suffering is tied to dairy and eggs. Over time, veganism became part of her everyday life, not something she felt she needed to announce loudly. During lockdown, she shared vegan cooking videos that felt relaxed and practical, especially for families.

Ricky Gervais

Ricky Gervais confirmed he’s vegan in a humorous moment on The Tonight Show, when a playful “would you eat…?” question led him to reveal that eating anyone would still be meat, even if the person was vegan. Long before that on-air confirmation, Gervais had already built a reputation for outspoken animal advocacy, frequently using his social media presence to highlight cruelty and push for change.

Pamela Anderson

Pamela Anderson has been vegan for decades and is widely known for pairing her diet with consistent animal rights advocacy. Over the years, she’s worked closely with PETA and appeared in multiple campaigns encouraging people to stop consuming animals and to think about cruelty behind everyday products.

Daisy Ridley

Ridley has spoken about appreciating good vegan options while juggling filming schedules, and she doesn’t treat plant-based eating as something complicated. That ease really came through when she appeared on Celebrity Bake Off, where she baked entirely vegan desserts; everything from millionaire’s shortbread to a chocolate tart.

Kate Mara

Kate Mara decided to go vegan after reading The Beauty Detox Solution by Kimberly Snyder, and she has said the change made a noticeable difference, especially for digestion. With a sensitive stomach, she found cutting out animal products made her feel better overall, reinforcing the lifestyle as something sustainable rather than temporary.

Alan Cumming

Alan Cumming has been vegan for over a decade and regularly partners with PETA to promote animal-friendly campaigns. He has also spoken about how the shift impacted his body, describing clearer skin and a noticeable boost in energy. In interviews, Cumming has framed veganism as feeling “cleaner” and more supportive of his health as he ages.

Ruby Rose

Ruby Rose’s vegan journey is tied to a childhood moment that shocked her into awareness. She once ate shark fin soup without understanding what it was, and when she realised it involved actual shark fins, the idea haunted her, she even described nightmares about finless sharks in the ocean. That experience pushed her away from eating fish and eventually toward a vegan lifestyle that she has followed for years.

Jessica Chastain

Jessica Chastain has been vegan for well over a decade to support her health and later connecting it to environmental and animal welfare concerns. She has said the energy boost she felt after changing her diet was immediate and significant. While she isn’t always loud about veganism, she has supported it through her actions.

Leona Lewis

Leona Lewis being vegan feels almost like it was written into her life early, she was raised in a vegan household, so awareness around animals and food wasn’t something she “discovered” later. She became vegetarian young and then went fully vegan in 2012, and everything about her activism matches that foundation. She’s been involved with an animal sanctuary for years and regularly brings attention to animal welfare causes.

Jared Leto

Jared Leto has followed a vegetarian/vegan lifestyle for over two decades and has credited it as part of why he feels and looks youthful. In interviews, he has explained that staying healthy long-term, through plant-based eating and consistent self-care, supports his energy and “preservation” over time. Leto has also offered fans small glimpses of his vegan habits, including sharing favourite snacks from his pantry, like vegan cookies.

Cillian Murphy

Cillian Murphy has spoken about going vegan for both health and environmental reasons, describing it as something he has been “trying” while recognising that it’s better for the planet. He has admitted he misses cheese, but he doesn’t miss meat and has said he’s been off meat for a long time. Murphy was vegetarian for many years and briefly returned to eating meat for work reasons before returning to a meat-free lifestyle.

Ariana Grande

Ariana Grande has been openly vegan since 2013, saying her decision came from a deep love for animals. She’s also joked about the challenge of staying vegan in an Italian-American family where relatives keep offering meat-based favourites, like her Nonna’s meatballs. Beyond the ethics, Ariana has said plant-based living supports her wellbeing and stamina.

Madelaine Petsch

Madelaine Petsch’s veganism is something she grew up with. Raised in a vegan household with parents who were deeply environmentally conscious, plant-based living was simply normal to her. If you watch her talk about it, there’s no sense of restriction. She often shares how her family grew their own produce and how those early habits helped her.

Alicia Silverstone

Alicia Silverstone’s vegan awakening came from a single realisation; she loved her dog deeply, so why was she okay eating other animals with the same desire to live? Once that thought landed, she didn’t hesitate. She went vegan in the late ’90s and has stayed firmly committed ever since. Over the years, she’s backed up her beliefs with action.