Right now, Mikey Madison is best known for Anora, Sean Baker’s film that revolves around the marriage between a sex worker and a Russian oligarch. Her role as Ani saw her scoop up the Academy Award for Best Actress, beating the likes of Demi Moore, Cynthia Erivo, Karla Sofía Gascón, and Fernanda Torres. But while it has undeniably put her on the map, Anora is far from Madison’s first acting job. The 25-year-old actor also starred in Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood and Scream 6, for example. Now, all eyes are on what she will do next. And fueling her through all of her success? Plenty of plant-based foods, because Madison is a dedicated vegan.
Is Mikey Madison vegan?
Yes, Madison does follow a vegan diet. After her Oscar win, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) posted on Instagram: “She’s vegan, wants to help rescue ponies, has an adopted dog named Jam, and just won Best Actress.” In an appearance on The Drew Barrymore Show ahead of the Academy Awards, she showed host Drew Barrymore how to make her vegan chocolate chip cookies and also confirmed her plant-based status. “I’ve refined [the recipe] a little bit over the years,” she said. “Because now I’m vegan and a little older, now I like dark chocolate instead of milk chocolate.”
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The Drew Barrymore Show
What does Mikey Madison eat in a day?
Madison hasn’t spoken about what she eats every day, but she has spoken about a few of her favorite meals and snacks in interviews. Vegan chocolate chip cookies, of course, are a favorite (which she always finishes with a sprinkle of flaky sea salt). In fact, chocolate chips in general seem to be a go-to for the actor. In an interview with Hollywood Authentic, she also made vegan chocolate chip silver dollar pancakes. “Cooking this breakfast is a comfort for her,” writes interviewer Greg Williams. “It’s the first thing she learned to cook and she used to make blueberry pancakes for her dad growing up.”
Neon
In the same interview, Williams and Madison visit the popular salad-focused, fast-casual joint, Sweetgreen. There, Madison orders one of the chain’s vegan bowls. It’s not specified which one, but the Sweetgreen menu lists a Shroomami bowl, which is vegan-friendly and consists of ingredients like roasted tofu, portobello mushrooms, shredded cabbage, wild rice, and roasted almonds.
According to Madison, her perfect day involves plenty of delicious vegan food. “[I would] sleep in. Spend the day with my pets, my friends, my family,” she says. “I’ll probably hang out with my brother. Go see a movie. Cooking, and eating good food. And being comfortable and cosy.”
The growing popularity of plants in Hollywood
Madison isn’t alone—her fellow nominees Erivo, Moore, and Ariana Grande—who was nominated for Best Supporting Actress for her role as Glinda in Wicked— all follow plant-based diets.
In 2018, Erivo told Bon Appetit that she follows a plant-based diet for health reasons. “I have been vegan for about 5 years,” she said. I don’t have dairy because I’m a singer and, quite frankly, I don’t want to mess around with my vocal chords and how those behave, and dairy is an allergen for me. I was cutting so many things out of my diet for health reasons—my body was letting me know that it wasn’t right for me—it ended up that being vegan was the most correct way for me to treat my body.”
Wicked | Universal Pictures
Grande has also been outspoken about her commitment to veganism in the past. She has followed a plant-based diet since 2013, and is passionate about the health benefits of the lifestyle, as well as animal welfare. “I love animals more than I love most people, not kidding,” she once told The Mirror. “I am a firm believer in eating a full plant-based, whole food diet that can expand your life length and make you an all-round happier person.”
Other vegan Oscar winners include Billie Eilish, Natalie Portman, and Joaquin Phoenix. After winning for Joker in 2020, Phoenix actually used his acceptance speech to advocate for animal welfare and encourage veganism and kindness. “We fear the idea of personal change, because we think we need to sacrifice something; to give something up,” he said. “But human beings at our best are so creative and inventive, and we can create, develop and implement systems of change that are beneficial to all sentient beings and the environment.”
For more plant-based stories like this, read:
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Charlotte is a VegNews editor and writer based in sunny Southsea on England's southern coast.
