Sir David Attenborough is one of the most famous broadcasters in the world – but more than that, he’s a household name, familiar face and international sensation! People across the globe adore David Attenborough, largely owing to his calm, relaxing tone and of course, the incredible nature documentaries he narrates. In fact, he’s known for inspiring a love of animals amongst children and adults everywhere. Nevertheless, the question remains: is David Attenborough vegan?
Is David Attenborough a Vegan?
Let’s answer the question everyone wants to know about Sir David Attenborough. He clearly loves and admires every animal species, but is David Attenborough a vegan?
Unfortunately, the answer is no: David Attenborough does not follow a vegan diet or lifestyle. This may come as a shock to many people who love watching his documentaries, as he’s fascinated by the natural world and has fought for most of his life to protect it.
In A Life On Our Planet, Attenborough’s analysis of the damage caused to the planet throughout his lifetime, he pays particular attention to the environmental devastation caused by the agricultural industry. Specifically, the animal agriculture industry.
In fact, one of the quotes from his documentary is as follows:
“The planet can’t support billions of meat-eaters. If we all ate only plants, we’d need only half the land we use at the moment.”
Attenborough also doesn’t label himself a vegetarian, nor does he claim to be primarily plant-based. It’s surprising that he hasn’t made the transition, despite recognising the environmental effects of industrial farming.
Nevertheless, many people still love and admire Sir David Attenborough for the extraordinary ways in which he has shone a light on the natural world. He’s given many of us a chance to explore the globe from our living rooms and has undeniably encouraged many people to view animals as sentient beings that deserve to be treated fairly.
He may be 95 years old, but hopefully one day he’ll go vegan!
Which Celebrities are Vegan?
So, it’s safe to say that David Attenborough isn’t vegan. Nevertheless, there are many celebrities who follow a cruelty-free lifestyle and use their platform to champion the vegan way of life.
Below, take a look at some of the most familiar faces around the world flying the flag for veganism. How many do you recognise?
Joaquin Phoenix
Joaquin Phoenix may just be one of the world’s most famous vegans. He’s followed a vegan diet since he was just three years old and has used his global platform to encourage other people to follow in his footsteps. In fact, he’s even partnered with PETA on various campaigns to share the vegan message loud and clear.
One of Phoenix’s most famous speeches was at the 2020 Oscars, where he accepted an award for his role in Joker. He used this time to share his beliefs surrounding animal cruelty and exploitation, saying:
“We go into the natural world and we plunder it for its resources. We feel entitled to artificially inseminate a cow and steal her baby, even though her cries of anguish are unmistakable. Then we take her milk that’s intended for her calf and we put it in our coffee and our cereal.”
You can read Joaquin Phoenix’s speech in full here.
Natalie Portman
Another incredibly famous vegan from Hollywood, Natalie Portman hasn’t eaten meat since age 11. She’s been either vegetarian or fully plant-based since then and, like Joaquin Phoenix, has taken the opportunity to spread the vegan message far and wide.
Portman also advocates for change within her role as an actress. For instance, she refuses to wear leather on set and only wears non-leather clothing while filming (and, of course, in real life). Portman even co-produced and narrated the vegan film Eating Animals, which takes an in-depth look at the planetary and public health impacts of the animal agriculture industry.
Alicia Silverstone
Alicia Silverstone, who you may recognise from Clueless, is a dedicated vegan who has partnered with animal rights organisations like PETA on a variety of projects. Silverstone has followed a vegan diet for more than two decades and proudly uses her voice and platform to shine a light on animal exploitation.
Silverstone has even raised her son, Bear, on a vegan diet. She’s been incredibly vocal about the benefits of avoiding animal products and believes that veganism is the secret to her son’s great health!
Raising children as vegans has been a controversial topic for quite some time, but with more and more celebrities choosing to do so, it could become more commonplace. What are your thoughts on the matter?
Tobey Maguire
If Spiderman can go vegan, so can you! That’s right – iconic Spiderman actor Tobey Maguire is another celebrity following a cruelty-free lifestyle. He first decided to stop eating meat in 1992 and took the next step in 2009, staying vegan ever since.
Maguire has also encouraged many others to eat less meat, largely by inspiring the opening of plant-based butchers in Australia – Spoon’s Vegetarian Butchers. This brilliant butchers was opened by Suzy Spoon, Maguire’s personal chef during the filming of The Great Gatsby.
What’s more, it’s said that Tobey Maguire and Natalie Portman used to snack on vegan goodies while on set together!
Pamela Anderson
Baywatch star Pamela Anderson is another globally recognised figure who deserves celebration for her vegan lifestyle and promotion of the plant-based diet. In fact, Anderson has followed a plant-based diet for three decades! She, like many of the other vegan celebrities on this list, has also used her fame to advocate for kindness and compassion towards animals.
Pamela Anderson also starred in one of PETA’s most famous campaigns. In it, she poses with tags all over her body, including “rump”, “shoulder” and “rib”. The aim of the campaign was to demonstrate our similarities with animals, and how we’re all made up of the same parts.
So, Sir David Attenborough may not be vegan, but there are many celebrities and famous people using their platform to promote plant-based lifestyles. Which vegan celebrities do you admire most? Do you think Attenborough will ever change his ways? Get in touch to let us know your thoughts!