Famous Vegans - Portia de Rossi

Portia de Rossi, 2007

Portia de Rossi

Born Amanda Lee Rogers on January 31, 1973. She is married to Ellen DeGeneres and her legal name is Portia Lee James DeGeneres, but she is known professionally as Portia de Rossi. She's an Australian-American actress who appeared in the television series Ally McBeal, Arrested Development, Better off Ted and Nip/Tuck. She also starred in several movies, including Sirens, The Invisibles and I Witness. She wrote the autobiography Unbearable Lightness: A Story of Loss and Gain, in which she talks about her lack of self-acceptance and her struggle with self-worth, and in particular overcoming her problems with anorexia nervosa.

Quotes by Portia de Rossi:

"I've always seen myself as an animal lover, but honestly, my affection didn't extend to all animals. I categorized them: Dogs were smart, loyal, and loving, so they were more valuable than, say, goats or pigs. I think that's why I never thought twice about eating meat. ... That all changed five years ago, when Ellen and I moved to a farm in California."

"We had four cows and two calves, and after a few months, we took in a 4-year-old Canadian Warmblood mare named Diva. The night she arrived, I was so worried about her that I couldn't sleep. So at 5 o'clock in the morning, I went out to the pasture to keep an eye on her. I sat very still, watching her until sunrise. Everything was so quiet that I think the animals forgot I was there. Then I witnessed something extraordinary: The cows formed a single-file line, and one by one they touched noses with the new horse as a greeting. The calves wouldn't approach on their own, so one of the cows nudged them forward. Each of the babies touched the horse's nose, then jumped around and played like little children.
I started crying and thought, I can't possibly keep eating these animals. Before that moment, I wouldn't have fathomed cows doing something like that. I was forced to confront the fact that I had chosen to remain ignorant of their nature because it was just easier that way."

"I always thought going vegan would be difficult, but I genuinely don't crave meat or cheese. And I feel happier, like I'm contributing to making the world a less violent place. Before that morning on the farm, I ranked an animal's value based on how "human" it was. Now I don't judge other beings that way—every animal has its own intelligence and sensitivities. They're all lovely, worthwhile, and deserving of our respect."

"Going out to dinner was a bit of a challenge at first, because I thought my only option was pasta with olive oil. But over time I've discovered that other cuisines, like Thai or Indian, have many vegan options in their menus. I do make a point of telling waiters that I'm vegan and I encourage them to talk to their chef about making more vegan dishes. This economy runs on supply and demand, so the more we demand, the more they'll supply."

"I think it’s more difficult to be vegan than gay. I think people have a harder time accepting it; people feel more uncomfortable with a vegan at their dinner table than they do a lesbian. It’s confronting. It’s kind of suggesting that what someone else is doing is bad or wrong, and it hits them on a more personal level. ... If somebody is sitting there eating a steak watching you eat polenta, they’re thinking that you’re trying to preach to them or you’re trying to convert them in some way. Whereas with being gay, I don’t think anyone’s concerned that that’s the agenda."

"While I have never felt more healthy and energized, the most important thing that happened to me when I stopped eating animals was a sense of connectedness. When I was suffering with an eating disorder, my life was solely about me. I was living through my ego and didn’t care about life around me. I was selfish and angry, and because I didn’t care about myself, I also didn’t care about littering in the street or polluting the environment."

"When Ellen and I first got together I was wearing fur and Ellen was wearing very expensive Italian calfskin leather. She was giving me a hard time about wearing the fur and I said, ‘Why is a fox any more important than a cow?’ "We took that idea and went all the way with it. We are doing what we can."

"We are such animal lovers, why stop short of cows and chickens? It didn’t make any sense."

Quotes are from her 2011 interview with VegNews, her 2010 Portia de Rossi's Aha! Moment on the Oprah website, her 2011 interview with Healthy Happy Life and her 2009 comments to I'm Not Obsessed.