Famous Vegans - Carol Leifer

Carol Leifer, 2011.

Carol Leifer

Born on July 27, 1956. She is an American comedian, actor, writer and producer. She started doing stand-up comedy in the 1970s. She has been a frequent guest on Late Night With David Letterman and many other shows. She has written television scripts for Seinfeld, the Larry Sanders Show and Saturday Night Live. She is the author of the book When You Lie About Your Age, the Terrorists Win. Her website can be found at this link.

She taped a public service announcement for PETA.

Quotes by Carol Leifer:

"I recently became vegan because I felt that as a Jewish lesbian, I wasn't part of a small enough minority. So now I'm a Jewish lesbian vegan."

"Growing up, it was always, ‘If you buy kosher meat, they’re killed humanely.’ But I’ve seen so many horrible videos. What we thought was humane 100 years ago is not humane anymore. The ways animals suffer, I just couldn’t be a part of it anymore."

"I’m sorry I didn’t have this revelation earlier. I sleep better and more soundly because I’m not participating anymore."

"I had been vegan for about six months when I went to a taping of Ellen's show. She had heard that I was vegan and was inquiring about it. Lesbians are really known for being animal lovers. Gay women always have so many pets. Besides loving my dogs, I really see animals all on the same plane. And after reading a book like Skinny Bitch or seeing videos from inside a dairy farm or a slaughterhouse, it's really hard to turn back. Because we love animals so much, it's the next logical step."

When asked what gives her more comedic material, being gay, vegan or Jewish, she answered:

"They're all sources of material. What I love about what I do, the more you talk about your life, there are so many people who have similar experiences."

Quotes are from her 2010 interview with Miami NewTimes and her 2009 interview with the Jewish Daily Forward.