Today is World Vegetarian Day, the official kickoff of the North American Vegetarian Society’s annual Vegetarian Awareness Month. In honor of the unofficial holiday, we decided to seek out some of the more surprising famous meat shunners. Maybe these unlikely herbivores will help convince you that anyone can do it. Or maybe they’ll just make you want to go eat a burger. Either way, enjoy!
Rob Zombie
For a man who makes gruesome slasher flicks and is named for the flesh-eating undead, you’d think Rob Zombie wouldn’t have any hangups about eating meat. The director/musician actually has been a vegetarian 1982, when he saw slaughterhouse footage in high school.
Alec Baldwin
While there are rumors that Baldwin may not be a “100 percent vegetarian,” his work as an animal rights activist make up for it in our opinion. In 2007, he narrated the gruesome PETA documentary Meet Your Meat . What would Jack Donaghy say?
?uestlove
Ahmir Khalib Thompson, aka ?uestlove, is the drummer for Philadelphia-based rap group the Roots. Interestingly, the entire initial Roots lineup, including rapper Black Thought was vegetarian. At the time the band recorded a video for PETA about why they made the switch.
Bobcat Goldthwait
Goldthwait seems to have one of the simpler reasons for not eating meat. He once told an interviewer, “I never eat anything that comes when you call.”
Anna Paquin
After watching her kick ass on True Blood each week (not to mention drink vampire blood), it’s almost impossible to imagine Paquin as a vegetarian in real life. We guess that would explain why she won that Academy Award for The Piano.
Oliver Stone
Stone may be known for such hard-hitting dramas as Wall Street and JFK, but he apparently has a soft spot for our four legged friends.
Russell Brand
Wild child Russell Brand may have had a problem with staying away from sex, but he can do without meat. He’s been a vegetarian since he was 14.
Billy Idol
Idol has been a vegetarian since he was 18. He gave up meat not due to animal rights, but due to the health problems that came along with his rock star lifestyle.
Jared Leto
Leto is a lacto-ovo vegetarian, which means he won’t eat animal flesh of any kind, but will consume dairy. This dietary restriction was particularly problematic for his role in the movie Chapter 27 , for which he had to put on 60 pounds.
B.B. King
B.B. King may have enjoyed BBQ earlier in his career, but at least since 1999 he’s worked to maintain a healthier diet. In addition to cutting out smoking and drinking, King is also now a vegetarian.