Comedian Ricky Gervais is well known for his love of animals as well as his stand-up comedy and TV performances in shows such as ‘The Office’ and ‘After Life’.
But until now, the British funnyman has remained tight-lipped about his dietary preferences. So, is Ricky Gervais vegan? Well, on 23rd January 2022, he confirmed that yes, he is.
Is Ricky Gervais Vegan?
Ricky Gervais is vegan. The actor and comedian revealed that he is, in fact, a vegan during an appearance on Jimmy Fallon’s iconic ‘Tonight Show’ on 23rd January 2022. Gervais had been known to be vegetarian for several years before turning fully vegan.
Here’s the clip of the interview where Ricky Gervais confirmed that he is vegan…
Previous comments from Ricky
In December 2019, Ricky Gervais asked on Twitter ‘Does a meal still count as vegan if your cat accidentally drags her tail through it as you’re eating?’
Does a meal still count as vegan if your cat accidentally drags her tail through it as you’re eating?
— Ricky Gervais (@rickygervais) December 2, 2019
Naming no names. pic.twitter.com/RedBzmDFbH
He’s also mentioned eating vegan fish fingers, vegan sausages and vegan wings in various comments on the social network.
When did Ricky Gervais go vegan?
Ricky Gervais publicly identified himself as a vegan in January 2022, but it’s likely that he went vegan at some point after August 2020.
In an interview with The Metro, Gervais said:
“‘You are allowed to have things in common with bad people as long it’s not the bad things. I’m a vegetarian and I love dogs, like Hitler. But the only things I have in common with Hitler are the good bits!’”
In this tweet from 5th August 2019, Gervais again describes himself as a vegetarian…
I’m also vegetarian. You know, like Hitler. https://t.co/r2Std4oWiY
— Ricky Gervais (@rickygervais) August 5, 2019
Ricky Gervais’ Animal Activism
In 2013, Ricky Gervais was given the PETA Person of the Year Award for his refusal to eat meat and his sharing of animal rights issues to his 5.3 million followers. (Now 14.5 million)
Here’s an example of one of Ricky’s many tweets in support of animal rights…
Animals are not here for us to do as we please with. We are not their superiors, we are their equals. We are their family. Be kind to them.
— Ricky Gervais (@rickygervais) November 17, 2013
Other awards that Ricky Gervais has earned include The Lord Houghton Award for outstanding service to animal welfare in 2016 and the Humane Society International’s Cecil Award in respect of his campaign to end trophy hunting.
Ricky Gervais is also a supporter of many animal charities. In 2017 he pledged that he would be donating much of his £100m fortune to help animals in need…
I was going to leave my fortune to animal charities after I die. But I’ve decided to do it before I die so I can reply to all the outrage on Twitter.
— Ricky Gervais (@rickygervais) December 10, 2017
To Conclude
Ricky Gervais was a vegetarian for many years before going vegan recently. While he has been quiet about his plant-based lifestyle until recently, I’m sure that others will take great inspiration from this animal rights hero.