Why Nikki Glaser Will Never Eat Eggs Again

Comedian Nikki Glaser officially eliminated eggs from her diet in 2016. Now, nearly a decade later, she’s lending her voice to one of the most sweeping global campaigns ever mounted against industrial egg production. But instead of shock tactics or aggressive activism, the roast queen and 2025 Golden Globes host is helping the movement shift its tone.

The campaign—a short film produced by the Open Wing Alliance—documents egg farms in 35 countries. Glaser narrates the piece in a quiet, deliberate register. “From North America to Asia, Europe to Africa, South America to Australia—no country, no company using cages is safe from what we found,” she says in the film. The message is clear: it’s time to reconsider the system behind one of the most everyday foods in the world.

Troubling findings on egg farms

Open Wing Alliance, a coalition of more than 100 nonprofits focused on animal welfare and supply chain reform, coordinated the investigation. It also organized a companion letter signed by more than 100 celebrities calling on food giants like Walmart, Denny’s, and Inspire Brands to eliminate cages from their egg supply chains. The coalition stresses that such transitions must be measurable, transparent, and independently verified to mean anything beyond marketing.

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Eggs remain a staple across cultures, yet their supply chains are among the least transparent. Each year, more than eight billion hens are used in global egg production. According to World Animal Protection, approximately 60 percent of them are confined to cages, conditions that restrict movement and basic natural behaviors. 

In the US, nearly two-thirds of hens remain in caged environments despite consumer demand for cage-free alternatives. In China, the world’s largest egg producer, cage systems are still standard.

Using her platform for good

Glaser’s long been open about her vegan diet but has rarely used her platform to promote it. Her commentary on food systems tends to arrive less as a callout and more as a reflection. “I just wish humans had more empathy for animals,” she said on The School of Greatness podcast. “What we’re doing to [them] is not right.”

Per Veganuary, it was her own “beloved” parakeet, named Kiwi, who helped her give up animal products for good.  “I convinced myself that egg-laying chickens and dairy cows had great lives,” she said. “Deep down, I knew that wasn’t the case … I Googled what I needed to, and that was that.” ⁠It’s the same story for many; Alicia Silverstone has also spoken of how her pets helped her see the truth in the meat industry, as has musician Moby, who also signed the Open Wing Alliance’s campaign letter.

Nikki Glaser

Glaser’s sense of empathy threads through the film, which avoids graphic imagery and instead favors a more meditative approach. Glaser doesn’t push a message of moral purity. There’s no dietary directive. The tone suggests a shift not in content, but in consciousness, toward a deeper awareness of where food comes from and what it costs to produce.

Glaser has described her diet as one that centers kindness over rigidity. On SiriusXM, she referred to herself as a “gentle vegan,” noting that the way a message is delivered often matters as much as the message itself. “No one wants to be yelled at,” she said. In a lighter moment during an interview with Goop, she joked that she’d only consider leech detox therapy “if the leeches were enjoying it.”

Reshaping the egg industry

The Open Wing campaign also explores how something as familiar as an egg holds economic and symbolic value across cultures. From street vendors in Jakarta to pastry kitchens in Paris, eggs serve as a universal shorthand for nourishment and comfort. Yet increasingly, consumers are asking what lies inside that shell. 

There are alternatives; the global egg substitutes market was valued at more than $1.2 billion in 2022 and is projected to grow steadily through 2030, driven in part by younger generations seeking alternatives that align with their values.

“Eggs are considered both essential and affordable, so companies hesitate to pass the cost of reform on to consumers,” says an Open Wing Alliance spokesperson. This tension between access and ethics continues to shape how supply chains evolve.

Just Egg

While the campaign highlights animal welfare, it also touches on broader implications. Ellie Ponders, senior director of global corporate engagement at Open Wing Alliance, says the risks extend beyond ethics. “It’s a ticking time bomb for public health and corporate risk,” she said, referencing the link between intensive animal agriculture and zoonotic disease spread.

The warning isn’t abstract. A 2023 review from the United Nations Environment Program identified industrial farming as a top driver of future pandemics. In the US alone, more than 80 million birds have been culled due to avian influenza outbreaks, according to the USDA, and these disruptions have driven egg prices to historic highs.

Regulatory progress varies by region. The European Union banned conventional battery cages in 2012 but still allows furnished cages. Australia has pledged a complete phaseout by 2036. In the US, states like California and Massachusetts have enacted cage-free laws, yet national legislation remains stalled. Many corporate pledges to go cage-free by 2025 are approaching their deadlines with little external verification.

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The film doesn’t dwell on these inconsistencies. It simply asks viewers to reconsider this staple. The question posed isn’t whether to eat them—it’s whether the systems producing them still reflect the values of the people consuming them.

Early response to the film suggests it’s resonating. Shared widely across social platforms, Glaser’s narration has sparked conversation among audiences who may not typically engage with food system reform. Her Instagram post about the campaign drew thousands of likes and comments, many from fans surprised to learn about the realities of global egg sourcing.

“It turns out, the price tag is the least shocking thing about eggs,” says Glaser. “What investigators documented across more than 35 countries will make you question everything.”