Magician Penn Jillette Goes Vegan for the Animals

Celebrity magician Penn Jillette celebrated his first vegan Thanksgiving this year. The magician has been following a plant-based diet for several years, which he credits for losing more than 100 pounds—a journey documented in his 2016 book Presto!: How I Made Over 100 Pounds Disappear and Other Magical Tales. However, Jillette took to Twitter during the Thanksgiving weekend to explain that he had recently adopted a more ethical understanding of veganism. “Happy Thanksgiving, Y’all. This will be my first one that’s cruelty-free,” Jillette tweeted. “Not just vegan for health anymore … this is not a holiday of healthful eating anyways [sic].” On Thanksgiving day, Jillette consumed his vegan meal prior to taking the stage at the Rio hotel in Las Vegas to perform his long-running “Penn & Teller” show alongside fellow magician Raymond Joseph Teller.