Celebrities Who Quit Being Vegan, and the Real Reasons Why
Miley Cyrus, Anne Hathaway, Liam Hemsworth, Zac Efron, Lizzo, Kristen Bell, Benedict Cumberbatch and Ellen DeGeneres all went vegan and all went back. Their reasons are more useful than the list of who's still vegan, because almost none of them quit over the animals. They quit over energy, pregnancy, touring, a film role, or food that just crept back in. Those are practical problems, and most have practical fixes. Here's what each of them said, and what it means if you're trying to stay meat-free.
Who quit, and why
Miley Cyrus. Vegan from 2013. Said on a podcast that she went back to eating fish because her brain wasn't functioning properly. Nutrition experts pointed out that the issue she described sounds like omega-3s, which vegans can get from algae oil.
Anne Hathaway. Went vegan after The Dark Knight Rises, quit after a meal of fish in Iceland. Said she didn't feel good or strong and needed fitness for a spacesuit role in Interstellar.
Liam Hemsworth. Vegan from 2015. Said he felt low and lethargic, then got a kidney stone, which his doctor linked to the high-oxalate foods (spinach, almonds, beets) he was eating in large amounts.
Zac Efron. Plant-based for about two years. Said his body wasn't processing vegetables the right way and reintroduced meat, including liver.
Lizzo. Vegan for several years. Started eating animal protein again in Japan and said she was amazed how good her body felt the next day.
Kristen Bell. Quit during her first pregnancy because it felt like she needed more calories.
Carrie Underwood. Also pregnancy and touring. Said she couldn't just order steamed broccoli on the road. She now calls herself "95% vegan" and eats eggs from her own hens.
Benedict Cumberbatch. Vegan for 18 months, then non-vegan food "just crept back into my life."
Ellen DeGeneres. Announced in a 2018 special that she'd started eating fish once in a while, "for no real reason."
Mike Tyson. Vegan from 2010, went back to red meat for training and the physique he wanted.
Samuel L. Jackson. Was told he'd be fired from Tarzan unless he gained 20 lbs.
Simon Cowell. Vegan after a health scare, quit after a motorbike accident while recovering on comfort food.
Channing Tatum, Zooey Deschanel, Waka Flocka Flame. Disliked vegetables, had food sensitivities to wheat and soy, or objected to the rules (honey, in Waka's case).
What the reasons have in common
Sort the list and almost every reason falls into one of four buckets:
- Felt low on energy or not strong. Cyrus, Hathaway, Hemsworth, Efron, Lizzo. This is the biggest group, and it's usually a planning problem. People cut out meat without adding enough calories, protein, B12, iron or omega-3s, feel flat, and blame the diet rather than the gap. Our guides to protein without meat and whether vegans need B12 cover the specifics.
- Pregnancy. Bell, Underwood. Pregnancy changes appetite and energy, and it's a reasonable time to loosen up. Plenty of people eat plant-based through pregnancy with a doctor's input, but nobody should feel they failed for not doing so.
- Work demanded it. Jackson, Tyson, Hathaway. Gaining 20 lbs for a role is not a diet decision most people face.
- It just drifted. Cumberbatch, DeGeneres, Tatum. No crisis, no decision, just a bite here and a bite there until the label didn't fit. This is the most common way anyone quits anything.
What's missing is anyone saying "I decided animals don't matter after all." The reasons for starting mostly held. The practice slipped.
What it means for you
- If you feel flat after cutting meat, fix the food before you quit the idea. Most "I had no energy" stories are a few hundred missing calories, a B12 supplement, or more protein at breakfast. Give it a proper try before concluding your body "needs" meat.
- Don't let one meal end it. Hathaway's fish in Iceland and Lizzo's meal in Japan became the whole story. One meal is one meal. The people who stick with it treat a slip as a data point, not a verdict. Our guide to why you still crave meat is about exactly this.
- Plan for the hard contexts. Touring, travel, family dinners and pregnancy came up again and again. Decide in advance what you'll do in those situations rather than deciding in the moment.
- "Mostly" counts. Carrie Underwood's "95% vegan" is more honest and more sustainable than a label she couldn't keep. Eating less meat is still eating less meat.
The drift problem, the Cumberbatch one, is the one most people underestimate. It's why the Spared app is built around counting: the cravings you ride out, the days, the animals. When you can see the count, a slip looks like a dent in something rather than the end of it.
Common questions
Why do celebrities quit being vegan?
Mostly low energy, pregnancy, work demands, or food creeping back in. Very few say they changed their minds about animals. Most of the reasons are practical and fixable with better planning.
Is Miley Cyrus still vegan?
No. She said she went back to eating fish because she felt her brain wasn't working properly, which she attributed to omega-3s. She still describes herself as mostly plant-based.
Did Zac Efron stop being vegan?
Yes. After about two years plant-based he said his body wasn't processing vegetables well, and he added meat, including liver, back into his diet.
Is it normal to go back to eating meat after being vegan?
Very. Most people who try a plant-based diet don't stick with it fully, and the usual reasons are practical rather than a change of heart. Eating less meat than before is still a real change, even if the label doesn't fit.