16 Celebrities That Are Actually Vegan

Leaving animal-based products behind for a more mindful way of eating and living sounds like a trendy move for the rich and famous to make. These are the tastemakers, after all. When they make the move toward a plant-based lifestyle, people notice, and many follow suit, convinced that seriously delicious plant-based meals are the key to living like their favorite celebrity.

Physical wellness isn't the only reason so many celebrities decide to leave meat, dairy, and eggs behind. Sometimes, it's for the sake of animal rights or improved health. For others, it's to lessen their carbon footprint and help create a more sustainable environment. And sometimes, it's a mix of personal care and concern for the planet that inspires radical shifts in dietary habits, allowing these superstars to change hearts and minds by speaking out about their choices.

Long-time advocates for vegan eating have been joined in recent years by newcomers in their cruelty-free pursuits. Whether it's a lifelong devotion to providing a better life for animals or health challenges that have prompted their decisions, these figures are some of the best-known celebrity vegans on the planet.

Queen Amidala turned vegetarian at age 9 before going fully vegan in 2011. The actress has succinctly summed up her reasoning for doing so. "Three times a day, I remind myself that I value life and do not want to cause pain to or kill other living beings," she said (via PETA). "That is why I eat the way I do." Portman has also pointed out that not only are plant-based food products here to stay, but more restaurants are accommodating vegan eaters than ever, making it easier to make the change in the 21st century than ever before.

Though she's recommitted now, Portman did discontinue her vegan eating habits while she was pregnant. She switched back to a vegetarian plan and included eggs and dairy in her diet, following her appetite and hoping to provide her baby with everything it might need to develop. She soon picked the vegan lifestyle back up in earnest, creating a film called "Eating Animals" in 2018, based on the writings of Jonathan Safran Foer, whose book inspired her to give up eating animal-based foods.

Coming from a family of social activists, Joaquin Phoenix took on the mantle of a vegan lifestyle at the tender age of 3. Despite this, the award-winning actor recognizes that his own children may not follow in his footsteps, saying instead that he intends to share the truth without forcing his beliefs on them.

The actor isn't shy about espousing his beliefs on animal rights in a public forum, however. He's used his platform to call out the cruelty of animal farming as he accepted the 2020 Best Actor Academy Award for his role as the Joker. For Phoenix, the truth about fake meat is that it prevents animal deaths and is part of a larger effort to eliminate all animal products from his life. This all-encompassing veganism has helped Phoenix live his truth regarding how animals should be treated, regardless of their perceived commercial value.

It's well-known by Billie Eilish's considerable fan base that her commitment to veganism is a way of life rather than a trendy choice. She's so devoted to the idea of eating animal-free that she and her brother, Finneas, worked with vegan restaurant developer Nic Adler to create Argento, an Italian restaurant in LA featuring all plant-based dishes (although this has yet to actually come to fruition since its 2023 announcement).

Luckily, Eilish has plenty of other choices. She's one of those down-to-earth celebrities with a go-to Taco Bell order: bean burritos, which can be made vegan as long as there is no cheese or sour cream. She's also established a vegan environment during her tours, working more plant-based items onto the menu for her shows. Concert-goers had options like the Billie Burrito and a "Bad Guy" Dog — a vegan hot dog named after her hit song — during the 2025 Hit Me Hard and Soft Tour.

Even in the early days of his career, such as during the later years of "Cheers" and in films like "White Men Can't Jump," Woody Harrelson was an outspoken advocate for the benefits of going vegan. He personally made the change in 1990. His introduction to an animal-free diet began when he gave up dairy milk at age 24, which helped clear up his acne.

He leans toward a super-healthy approach to an animal-free diet, describing a sauce featuring spirulina, hemp seeds, almond butter, and other superfoods that he uses on fresh fruit for his go-to breakfast. Harrelson has also been sugar-free for decades.

Harrelson's ability to explain the benefits of adopting an animal-free diet has inspired other celebrities, including Liam Hemsworth (who later went back to meat) and Sadie Sink, to also go vegan. He's also lent his celebrity heft to animal causes, such as imploring Texas governor Greg Abbott to put an end to a wild hog-catching event called The Bacon Bash, and even requesting Pope Francis to go vegan for Lent in 2019.

"Stranger Things" may have made actress Sadie Sink a bona fide star, but it was working with Woody Harrelson on the film "The Glass Castle" that made her decide to become vegan. Sink was already a vegetarian at the time, but began to realize that eggs and dairy products also rely on the inhumane use of animals. The epiphany prompted her to go fully vegan at age 14.

Sink does understand that such a radical change can be a challenge for others. She has encouraged people to find a way to adopt a vegan-forward lifestyle, whether it's with food or fashion, since the difference between plant-based and vegan often means making changes beyond your diet.

The actress even set the tone for her "Stranger Things" co-stars to give it a try. In one livestream, a highly energetic and very young Millie Bobby Brown shared with Sink that she went vegetarian for two days, which Sink was happy to hear. After Sink reminded Brown that she actually once went vegan "for three minutes," Brown pointed out that that was only because Sink told her she "couldn't eat anything" from craft service (via YouTube). Needless to say, Brown isn't among the vegan celebrities on this list.

Singer and actor Lenny Kravitz is a living testimony to the belief that going vegan and sticking to a fitness regime has long-lasting implications for your well-being. Kravitz even grows his own produce at his homes in the Bahamas and Brazil to work whole foods into his daily meals, which include raw produce as a staple. He does allow himself cheat meals that include more carbs than usual, though the items he chooses remain plant-based.

The "Hunger Games" star's commitment to vegan-based fitness paid off in 2022, when Kravitz was named Most Beautiful Vegan Male Celebrity by PETA. It may sound like a cheesy title, but it shone a spotlight on the results that can be obtained by plant-based eaters and helped promote the image of being vegan as something to which even the most extravagant stars in the world adhere.

Way back in her "Baywatch" era, Hollywood legend Pamela Anderson espoused animal rights and fought for the creatures of the planet, in part by opting out of eating meat and dairy. In fact, in 2010, one of PETA's most attention-grabbing animal rights campaigns featured a bikini-clad Anderson with a diagram of butcher cuts drawn on in marker to draw a visual comparison between humans and animals. It's a striking image that makes the point that all animals have certain things in common, driven home with an eye-catching pose from one of the world's most celebrated stars.

Her devotion inspired a cookbook that showed readers how to make 80 animal-free dishes, designed to show off the potential of vegan dining. Anderson shared simple hacks like roasting veggies over an open fire to maximize flavor and substituting a thoughtful crudité platter in place of a traditional charcuterie board as easy ways to adopt plant-based dishes that don't feel like a sacrifice.

Oscar-winning actress Emma Stone hasn't spoken much about her veganism, but it's commonly known in Hollywood circles. As far back as 2011, Stone was garnering notice from PETA for promoting cruelty-free cosmetics, bringing her animal rights into the beauty sphere. She frequented vegan restaurants with fellow vegan Woody Harrelson while filming "Zombieland" in Atlanta and enjoyed vegan cupcakes at NYC bakery BabyCakes — moments noteworthy enough to be included in a 2011 Vanity Fair profile. She's also lent her presence to the "One Day a Week" promotion for Meatless Mondays, encouraging everyone to reduce their animal protein intake to help make a difference.

Stone has made exceptions to her no-animal-eating rule, as she did while filming a scene for "Kinds of Kindness" that required her to seemingly eat raw meat. Food stylist Andi Daniels described the process to Esquire, explaining that there was a spit bucket nearby for Stone to get rid of each bite as soon as shooting was finished.

Casey Affleck has made his own waves in show business, separate from those of his big brother, Ben. He also hasn't shied away from promoting his vegan lifestyle whenever the subject arises. In an exclusive interview with PETA in 2007, Affleck explained the difficulty he experienced finding vegan restaurants and shops when he first made the change. He advised others to make small changes at first and see where they lead. "You don't have to be necessarily a crusader, even if it seems overwhelming to you," he said.

Affleck is influential enough in Hollywood to allow his on-screen roles to reflect his off-screen beliefs. A scene in his 2016 movie "Manchester by the Sea," in which his character opens his freezer, became a perfect vehicle for showing off a selection of Gardein meat alternative products. Whether or not audiences noticed, the actor was able to work his real-life practices into the visual image portrayed on film, adding a stroke of vegan authenticity to the scene.

Daisy Ridley came about her veganism as a response to the 2017 mockumentary film "Carnage," which imagines a future where everyone is vegan. The switch was also prompted by several health issues for Ridley that inspired a change of direction. The "Star Wars" actress contends with a combination of endometriosis, polycystic ovary syndrome, and Graves' disease. Shifting to an eating plan that's both animal- and gluten-free proved key for keeping her conditions in check.

Ridley initially omitted meat and dairy, sticking with fish only, but eventually became fully vegan. Her spirited commitment to animal rights prompted her to write a letter to the Chancellor of the University of Massachusetts Amherst in 2022, after she discovered the campus lab was performing menopause experiments on marmosets, which had been named after "Star Wars" characters. The lab was ultimately shuttered in 2025, due in part to the outcry of Ridley and over 160,000 other activists.

Stage and screen actor Alan Cumming takes his 2012 decision to be vegan very seriously, though it comes with a generous helping of humor. One of his contributions is lending his persona to a bagel made with plant-based haggis, dairy-free smoked Applewood cheese, chili mayo, and pickles. The collaboration with Scotland-based Bross Bagels was just the latest step in Cumming's expansive vegan campaign. He also did his best to ensure a plant-based menu at COP26, the 2021 climate summit held in Glasgow. It's an approach he takes with on-set catering, too.

In 2026, Cumming represented PETA in a campaign for vegan leather. Portraying a rebel with a cause, the Emmy-winner dressed up in full motorcycle leathers in the style of Marlon Brando in the classic film "The Wild One" to encourage others to make a fashion choice that doesn't harm animals. It's the counterpart to his vegan diet and fulfills his philosophy. "I think killing to make or eat things is horrific," he previously summarized to Vegetarian Times.

She may play ditzy on both the large and small screens, but "The White Lotus" star Jennifer Coolidge is a savvy vegan consumer in real life. She's committed enough to eating animal-free items to turn down a hot dog commercial for a brand that wouldn't create a plant-based hot dog. It's not only a huge statement for Coolidge herself, but a tremendous message that celebrities are willing to walk away from money to maintain their vegan beliefs.

During her prep for the 2023 Golden Globes, Coolidge was photographed with a vegan-ized Dunkin' iced coffee with almond milk while an assistant applied her finishing touches. It was a sneaky way to show her fervent following that moving away from animal-based food and beverages is possible with a little thoughtfulness. She's also spoken up for e.l.f., an affordable cruelty-free cosmetic brand, becoming the face of the company in a series of commercials that utilized her unique comedic stylings.

Filmmaker, actor, and comic book writer Kevin Smith didn't always practice vegan habits. A massive heart attack in 2018 provided a wake-up call, driving Smith in a new direction health-wise with a plant-based diet, which he claimed has helped him lose weight and attain a fitter, more youthful appearance. "I had almost died, clearly because I was ingesting not just animal food products but far too many animal food products over the course of a lifetime," Smith said while speaking to podcaster Rich Roll.

Smith and daughter Harley Quinn (yes, she was named after the Batman villain) launched a podcast called Vegan Abattoir that introduced fans and followers to an animal-free way of considering food. The younger Smith was instrumental in helping her father establish his vegan diet. "Seeing what human compassion could do to an animal gave me a new awareness that I had never understood before ... human actions directly affect the animals that we co-exist with," Smith's daughter explained during the same episode of the Rich Roll podcast.

One of the most forthcoming celebrity vegans in show business, Alicia Silverstone, has spoken up about going cruelty-free since the 1990s. It was a video about factory farming that flipped the switch when the "Clueless" actress was 21, having spent her teenage years suspecting that eating meat just wasn't right for her. She also credits the alteration for improving her health, convinced that it's helped her retain a youthful appearance without the use of Botox or filler.

The superstar puts her beliefs on display in The Kind Life, her website devoted to personal wellness. This includes recipes, recommendations for living an animal-free lifestyle, and articles about all aspects of health and wellness. Her vegan endeavors include promoting animal- and cruelty-free beauty products. She also promotes animal kindness, sharing informative blog posts about treating creatures with compassion as part of an all-around ethical existence.

Playing animal rights champion Elphaba in the "Wicked" films was a hint at actress Cynthia Erivo's real-life practice as a vegan, a choice she made in 2013, long before taking the creatures of Oz under her wing. In the simplest terms, Erivo says eating vegan food has a positive impact on both her energy and mood, something she noticed was not the case when eating an animal-inclusive diet. The overlap that came a decade later, when she tackled the iconic role of the Wicked Witch of the West, was a fitting opportunity to tie her personal beliefs into her professional life.

The ever-expanding possibilities of plant-based dining are an attractive prospect to the Tony winner. In particular, Erivo is jazzed by the introduction of creative vegan food into the U.K. dining scene, highlighting an agedashi tofu at Japanese restaurant The Aubrey as a personal favorite. That doesn't mean she doesn't adore chips (or crisps, as she calls them) and baked goods, which she makes herself and shares with castmates and crew on her project sets.

Surviving a deadly plane crash in 2008 pushed ‌Blink-182 drummer Travis Barker from vegetarianism into full-blown veganism, which he credits as a source of boundless energy and helps with his onstage performances and his workouts. The Kardashian in-law has since offered insight into what he typically eats in a day. It's no surprise to learn his habits largely consist of visits to restaurants and making his own healthy fortified drinks. He even shares his self-made vegan juices with his fellow bandmates while on the road, spreading the vegan goodness around. 

But Barker does more than just choose veganism for himself. The star is so committed to making a vegan diet easy and enjoyable for everyone that he is a co-owner of Crossroads Kitchen, an animal-free restaurant in LA that presents plant-based fine dining for the discerning eater. Items served here also include gluten-free options, an aspect which Barker added to his vegan regimen around 2017.