DeGeneres, who went vegan in 2008, explained her decision on her official Web site: “I personally chose to go vegan because I educated myself on factory farming and cruelty to animals, and I suddenly realized that what was on my plate were living things, with feelings.” Since then, she has used her platform to highlight a cruelty-free lifestyle.

“Ellen DeGeneres shows us that one person really can make a difference in the world by rejecting cruel deeds in favor of compassionate acts,” says PETA President Ingrid E. Newkirk. “Her message that animals must be treated kindly and respectfully has reached scores of people, and many of them have changed their buying habits, all because DeGeneres spoke up for the voiceless.”