Meet PETA’s Wild One: The Incomparable Alan Cumming

He’s not a “dairy queen” – he’s the “vegan option” (more on that in a minute), and Alan Cumming is also a rebel against cruelly obtained animal skins. The PETA honorary director laced up his leather-free Dr. Martens and slipped on a cactus leather AllSaints jacket to put a sexy, vegan twist on the iconic image of Marlon Brando in The Wild One for a PETA ad blitz that hit New York City just in time for Fashion Week. PETA UK also placed the billboard near London’s Royal Festival Hall, where Cumming was hosting the 2026 BAFTA Film Awards. 

“It’s so much cooler to be a rebel with a cause,” Cumming says. “There’s loads of plant-based materials that are available today in clothes of all sorts, so there’s absolutely no need to be wearing leather.” 

He’s spot on! It’s easy to score bags made from bananas, shoes made from mushrooms, wallets made from apples, and so on. Most animal skins used for clothing come from cows raised for beef or milk, so they’re not vegetarian, let alone vegan, because buying leather directly supports the horrifically cruel meat and dairy industries. 

“It’s easy to be lazy and think, ‘Oh, I wish I could, but ….’ You can!” 

– Alan, on choosing vegan options 

From a Hard Start to a Soft Heart 

Cumming’s affinity for animals goes back to his childhood on a farm in Scotland. In his memoir, Not My Father’s Son, he compares the abuse that he endured as a child at the hands of his father – who was prone to fits of rage – to that inflicted on animals on the farm. Once, Cumming’s father violently grabbed him, and “my head was propelled forward by his hand, the other one wielding a rusty pair of clippers that we used on the sheep,” he writes. “They were blunt and dirty and they cut my skin, but my father shaved my head with them, holding me down like an animal.” 

While it was his concern for animals that led Cumming to go vegan, dumping dairy foods also helped him resolve certain health issues. “My skin cleared up – I used to have rosacea,” he says. “My voice – you know, I would kind of have mucousy things going on. And that’s all to do with dairy.” After going vegan, Cumming said, “I feel much better. I feel I’ve got more energy. I feel cleaner. I feel younger.” 

His advice to anyone who’s on the fence about going vegan: “Don’t be ridiculous – just do it. It’s so easy! We’re not living in the dark ages!” 

Over the years, Cumming has been an unwavering animal ally. If you’ve seen Chimp Crazy, you know that he played a pivotal role in helping PETA rescue a chimpanzee named Tonka, who was Cumming’s costar in the 1997 film Buddy. When a judge granted PETA permission to remove Tonka from a defunct breeding facility, he was nowhere to be found. His owner, Tonia Haddix, claimed he had died, but we weren’t buying it. After PETA and Cumming offered a $20,000 reward for information, a phone call recording came to light in which Haddix admitted that Tonka was still alive. Tonka was discovered in a cage in Haddix’s basement nearly a year after she faked his death. Today, he is alive, thriving, and – like many lucky older adults – retired in Florida (at a lush sanctuary). 

Not a Dairy Queen … but Royalty for Animals 

Cumming sported PETA’s pink “Not a Dairy Queen” T-shirt for posters adorning our Pride Month displays and gave fans free vegan ice cream at his Edinburgh Festival Fringe performance. 

He was everyone’s favorite vegan option after he appeared in PETA’s head-turning taxi-top ads in New York.

Cumming has also hosted a birthday bash for PETA founder Ingrid Newkirk at his East Village bar, Club Cumming; spoken out against a proposed caviar farm in Scotland; called for Starbucks to drop its vegan milk upcharge (it did!) and for Glasgow’s COP26 to be a vegan event; urged New York City to retire its carriage horses; and so much more. What else is up Cumming’s vegan leather sleeve? Stay tuned!