Vegan actor and animal advocate Woody Harrelson has appeared on the US YouTube talk show Hot Ones, taking on the fiery wing challenge with cauliflower pieces instead of chicken wings. Harrelson has been vegan for more than 30 years and has previously praised a whole food plant‑based diet (WFPB) for giving him energy.
Hot Ones features guests eating a sequence of ten wings coated in increasingly spicy sauces while being interviewed by host Sean Evans, but in this recent episode, Harrelson was seen eating cooked, seasoned, unbattered cauliflower rather than a fried animal‑based option. Evans acknowledged on air that the team had adapted the tasting for him, with the production noting his dietary requirements and adjusting “the lineup accordingly.”
Despite the spice, Harrelson completed all ten wings and finished the episode by performing a magic trick, echoing his role as magician and hypnotist Merritt McKinney in Now You See Me: Now You Don’t, which is now showing in cinemas in the UK and US. Several guests have also opted for plant‑based wings on Hot Ones, including Lady Gaga, John Oliver, Lizzo, and Florence Pugh. In a 2024 appearance, vegan Lewis Hamilton, Formula 1 driver and a strong animal advocate, demanded Evans, “just do the vegan ones,” adding that such a decision would save “so many chickens.” Earlier this year, animal rights organisation PETA urged Sean Evans to adopt an all‑vegan menu for the series, offering to name two rescued chickens after him if he agreed to remove chicken wings from future episodes. However, it seems that, despite all this advice, many chickens will continue to be killed for the program, as producers may think that trying to avoid harming others is just a matter of individual taste.
