Joaquin Phoenix's Veganism Was On Full Display At The Golden Globes And I Loved Every Minute Of It

What, you didn't know that he's a lifelong vegan?

Joaquin Phoenix is one of the greats: a great actor, a great person to watch (because you never know what he's going to do), and a great advocate for animal rights.

Valerie Macon / Getty Images

Maybe you didn't know that last part, did you?

Well, it's true. He's been a vegan for nearly his entire life, since the age of 3.

Phillip Faraone / FilmMagic

Here's the story of how he and his siblings went vegan, as told to Collider:

"They were catching fish, and I guess to stun them they were throwing them against the side of the boat. I just had a profound strong reaction. It felt like a real injustice. It wasn’t just me, it was my siblings, all of my siblings, except for the youngest, Summer, she wasn’t born. I don’t know how to explain it. I think it made me distrustful, and angry, and frightened of humans, humanity. I just thought it was such a gross abuse of power in a way. I think that during that moment, we knew that we were not going to eat meat anymore. We said to our parents, ‘Why didn’t you tell us?’ It’s amazing. I remember my mom’s face, I remember her crying. She didn’t know how to answer. It became very obvious we weren’t going to eat meat anymore."

Here's Joaquin at a recent PETA event with his vegan family to back up that story, in case you weren't convinced.

Todd Williamson / Getty Images

But let's get back to this year's Golden Globes, and how very vegan it was.

Amy Sussman / Getty Images

First of all, Joaquin wore a vegan suit to the Globes by Stella McCartney, who is a lifelong vegetarian and does not use animal products in any of her clothes.

Thomas Samson / Getty Images

But his dedication to the environment didn't stop there — Joaquin has opted to wear the same tux for all of awards season to help reduce waste.

Stella McCartney @StellaMcCartney

This man is a winner… wearing custom Stella because he chooses to make choices for the future of the planet. He has also chosen to wear this same Tux for the entire award season to reduce waste. I am proud to join forces with you... x Stella #JoaquinPhoenix #GoldenGlobes

09:54 AM - 06 Jan 2020

Can you imagine if everyone did this?!

Second, he kicked off his acceptance speech for his win for Best Actor with a shoutout to veganism. "First I'd like to thank the Hollywood Foreign Press for recognizing and acknowledging the link between animal agriculture and climate change. It was a very bold move, making tonight plant-based, and it really sends a powerful message," he said.

Handout / 2020 NBCUniversal Media, LLC via

He continued, "Contrary to popular belief, I don't want to rock the boat. The boat is already fucking rocked. It's really nice that so many people have come up and sent their well-wishes to Australia, but we have to do more than that. Together hopefully we can be unified, and hopefully make some changes. It's great to vote, but sometimes we have to take that responsibility on ourselves and make changes and sacrifices in our own lives, and I hope that we can do that. We don't have to take private jets to Palm Springs. I'll try to do better and I hope you will too."

And then of course there's the vegan menu that was served at the Golden Globes.

Rodin Eckenroth / Getty Images

In case you're wondering, chilled golden beet soup and King Oyster mushroom "scallops" (above) were the dishes served. They were originally just an option on the menu for those who selected it, but in December the Hollywood Foreign Press Association decided to make it the meal for everyone in attendance.

Guess what? That was because of our buddy Joaquin.

Kevin Winter / Getty Images

How do we know? Fellow vegan Moby spilled the beans to Page Six, saying, "Joaquin and Rooney Mara sort of organized that."

Barcroft Media / Getty Images

Rooney is also a vegan, FYI.

He continued, "In the vegan mafia, Joaquin and I have known each other for decades — and I don’t know if I’m even allowed to say this — but I know that he was one of the people who helped arrange that."

Todd Williamson

Wow, how does one join this vegan mafia and where can I apply?

So there you have it. Joaquin Phoenix is using his awards season accolades to spread his message of animal rights, veganism, and being more eco-friendly.

Jon Kopaloff / Getty Images

I'll be over here, watching the rest of awards season to see what he says next!

NBC / Via giphy.com