Comedian Diane Morgan Says 'Horrific' Factory Farming Prompted Her To Go Vegan

Diane Morgan has said that “horrific” factory farming prompted her to go vegan.

The British comedian and actor previously followed a vegetarian diet but went vegan in January last year. Morgan is starring in Last One Laughing UK, but is best known for her portrayals of fictional reporter Philomena Cunk and Liz on Motherland.

Morgan made the comments about going vegan in a recent interview with the Independent. She said, “A lot of factory farming is horrific and I was already vegetarian, but when I saw all of that and how they’re treated, and I just thought ‘I can’t do this anymore.’”

While the comedian was “never a big milk drinker anyway,” and instead preferred oat milk, she has said on multiple occasions that cutting out cheese was a challenge. “I couldn’t find a decent vegan cheese that I liked – it all tasted like glue sticks – so I just went cold turkey on it,” Morgan said. “Then, after four weeks, my brain just went, ‘Oh, I don’t like cheese anymore, it smells like socks.’ So now I don’t crave it at all.”

Morgan also described two of her go-to vegan meals: baked sweet potatoes with grated extra-firm tofu, chipotle, and paprika, and lime, jalapeño, and yoghurt dressing; and roasted butter beans with tenderstem broccoli, olive oil, salt, and lemon juice.

“If you’re not eating meat or cheese, you’ve really got to make friends with the vegetable,” she said, and added that her skin is “definitely clearer” now.

‘I loved the ethos of this place’

Towards the end of the interview, Morgan said, “I wish I had some great advice for everyone. But get out in the garden, plant a flower, watch it grow. Or switch your phone off, that’s my advice. And go vegan.”

In July last year, Morgan wrote a characteristically deadpan review of Gauthier Soho and its vegan tasting menu, in which she described the restaurant’s atmosphere as “sombre” and funereal, and an olive, peppercorn, and dill-based non-alcoholic drink as looking and tasting “very much like the dehydrated urine of a cab driver.”

However, she also praised several courses, including the brioche feuilletée, made with lovage, puff pastry, and dairy-free feta, in particular. She wrote, “I loved the ethos of this place. The first thing they said to us was that all the food was free of cruelty to animals.” She added, “It was all beautifully presented and full of flavour.”

‘Their kindness is truly heartwarming’

Morgan’s animal advocacy goes beyond her diet. In 2019, she adopted a rescue dog named Robert “Bovril,” and participated in Animal Equality UK’s 2023 campaign for a “robust registration and licensing system” for farms. Last year, she also supported Animal Free Research UK and became a patron of Moggies Cat Rescue in Wales.

“I’m a big animal rights supporter, and when I saw what Doreen and Eileen are trying to achieve, it really touched me,” Morgan said of the feline rescue center and its owners, as reported by the BBC. “They’re working so hard to provide injured or unwanted cats with shelter and medical help,” she added. “They rely solely on donations, and their kindness is truly heartwarming.”

You can find out more about Moggies Cat Rescue, Animal Free Research UK, and Animal Equality UK here. Last One Laughing season two is out on Amazon Prime.