Last night, PETA’s all-virtual 40th Anniversary and Holiday Party celebrated the group’s four decades of victories for animals and honored the celebrities who have helped make them happen. The event included special appearances by Sir Paul McCartney, Mariah Carey, Jermaine Dupri, and others—and its honorees included two sports icons:
“Being in the NFL has given me some amazing opportunities, but the most important one is using my platform for positive change. I have a teammate who is doing just that. I am so proud of the videos he’s done for PETA, working to get animals out there treated with respect. He is not only an asset to our team but to animals who need protection,” said Mahomes in his presentation.
Mathieu, who went to Louisiana State University and played for the Cardinals, said, “Growing up in New Orleans and playing football in Arizona and Kansas City, I’ve known sweltering heat and bitter cold. I also know how dangerous extreme temperatures can be for dogs. When PETA showed me what they see in the field, I was shocked by how poorly ‘man’s best friend’ was being treated. It broke my heart, and I had something to say. Defending is my kind of my thing, after all. PETA, thank you for this honor.”
Retired NBA star John Salley also received an award presented by Casey Affleck in celebration of his vegan advocacy, which has included hosting PETA’s Veggie Dog Lunch on Capitol Hill (the group’s annual answer to a meat industry event). Salley said, “This award means so much to me. It’s about standing up for a cause that is close to my heart. … I’ve been a vegan for over a decade now. … And it’s all about building a kinder world for animals, feeling the best you can. And you know what? Help the planet.”
The event also featured a segment highlighting the numerous sports superstars who have teamed up with PETA to promote kindness to animals over the years, including Patriots quarterback Cam Newton, World Cup champions Alex Morgan and Christen Press, former NBA champion Metta World Peace, and WNBA stars Elena Delle Donne and Candace Parker.
PETA has been working harder than ever for animals in 2020—and we’ve got the star-studded 40th anniversary extravaganza to prove it! To celebrate our many animal rights victories and honor some of the celebrities who helped make them happen, we invited people around the world to party with us from the comfort and safety of their own homes. And while we would have loved to toast victories for animals in person, we’ll admit that we’re not mad about hanging out with some of the world’s biggest stars in our sweats.
If you weren’t able to join us for the event, check out the recap below to relive some of the evening’s most memorable moments!
All we wanted for Christmas was for Mariah Carey to come to our party … and she did! The famous diva presented her close friend and proud vegan Jermaine Dupri (or “J.D.,” as she calls him) with PETA’s Humanitarian Award, which he graciously accepted from his hit-making studio in Atlanta.
These two music geniuses have collaborated on dozens of hits and now they're teaming up to help animals
PETA gifted the world a 9 to 5 reunion when country queen Dolly Parton presented her former costar Lily Tomlin with PETA’s Humanitarian Award. Self-proclaimed “cause queen” Tomlin also reminded guests that PETA has always had a sense of humor and presented a short segment highlighting all the times that we have collaborated with famous comedians to help animals.
There's no issue @LilyTomlin will stay silent on — she has worked with us to fight against #SeaWorld, the #Iditarod, animal experimentation, fur clothing, and more!
Sports fans rejoiced seeing Kansas City Chiefs Quarterback Patrick Mahomes present his teammate Tyrann Mathieu with his much-deserved PETA Humanitarian Award, which he received for speaking up for dogs suffering in extreme weather. Did we mention that these two won the Super Bowl this year?
"Run to the rescue with love, and peace will follow." -River Phoenix
So honored to have Joaquin and the entire Phoenix Family help us celebrate 40 years of animal rights activism by presenting The River Phoenix Award #PETA40pic.twitter.com/TrFV7oHRU4
An activist in her own right, Kat Graham invited viewers to change the world and end speciesism by changing what we eat, what we wear, and how we live. Filmed at Full Circle Farm Sanctuary in Atlanta, she had help from some energetic rescued goats and sheep when accepting her PETA Humanitarian Award and delivering her crucial message.
Brother and sister duo Jesse & Joy gave viewers a reason to get off the couch and dance when they performed their hit song “Love” all the way from Mexico City. And they had the most adorable introduction from young actor Vivien Lyra Blair, whose PETA campaign basically broke the internet.
Edie Falco walked us through some of PETA’s victories in her hometown of New York City, including our strategic work on Wall Street buying stock in companies that support animal abuse, such as SeaWorld and slaughterhouses, to advocate for animals from the inside.
Fashion icon Tim Gunn also joined us from the Big Apple, in front of fashion designer Stella McCartney’s SoHo shop, to share PETA’s work in getting top designers to adopt animal-friendly fashion in their collections.
Style icon @TimGunn has been “gunning” hard for animals for years.
His voice and influence have been essential in creating many major changes for animals in the fashion industry! #PETA40pic.twitter.com/fuQ44td3eW
Oscar winner Casey Affleck donned a tux for the occasion to show everyone that animals have a voice—even if we can’t always understand what they’re telling us. He also introduced NBA legend and longtime vegan John Salley, who reminded everyone while accepting his award that tofu never caused a pandemic.
PETA supporters were very excited to celebrate our 40th anniversary with their animal companions:
PETA donor Elissa Free
PETA donor Alysoun Mahoney
When influencer Eva Gutowski accepted her award, she urged viewers to speak up for what they believe in, no matter how big or small their platform may be.
It was a true punk-rock moment when Pretenders frontwoman Chrissie Hynde took us to London to celebrate PETA’s major vivisection victories and present her “favorite rock star” Iggy Pop with his PETA Humanitarian Award.
Yes, @IggyPop! If you're with us, you're with animals
James Cromwell led us on a trip down memory lane by counting down PETA’s “Greatest Vegan Hits,” starting with our first-ever vegetarian commercial in 1990 starring k.d. lang. The “Meat Stinks” PSA actually got the singer’s record banned from country radio (but her album eventually went gold—so you’re welcome, k.d.!).
George Lopez reiterated what many animal advocates know to be so true: We don’t rescue animals—they rescue us. Alongside one of his rescued Chihuahuas, the famous comedian introduced PETA President Ingrid Newkirk, who reminded us that humans are just one animal among many.
This year, staying safely at home is the best gift that you can give to your family, your friends, and yourself. Celebrating a socially distanced holiday can be just as special as a large celebration, and we can show you how to pull it off with animals in mind. So save the big get-togethers for next year and follow this guide to having a cozy holiday celebration that’s safe for all (including animals).
Easy Holiday Recipes
It’s hard to deny that the key to any holiday celebration is the food, so why not prepare a delicious feast for yourself and anyone else you share your home with? Hosting a Zoom dinner party can be a great way to stay in touch with loved ones while staying safely isolated. You can feel even more connected by asking your virtual attendees to make the same dishes so that you can share a meal together. Here are some easy vegan recipes that are sure to please:
Sweet treats are a holiday essential—whip up a batch for yourself, or make a whole bunch to send to your family and friends. You might be surprised to find out how butter is produced or how eggs are obtained, which is why it’s best to stick with cookie recipes that use only vegan ingredients.
Missing your favorite restaurants? Many offer special holiday menus for takeout or delivery, or you can just order your favorite dish for a special evening in. Supporting small businesses is even more important than ever in tumultuous economic times, so go ahead and support the ones that make it easy for you to enjoy vegan food year-round.
Get everything you need for a holiday meal for two, including a Cremini Mushroom Roast, Jalapeño Cornbread Dressing, and Pumpkin Curry Soup. Feel free to add a vegan pumpkin pie for dessert.
This vegan chain is offering a DIY Holiday Tamale Kit, complete with everything that you need to make a dozen vegan chile cheese and mushroom mole tamales. You can even add sides of ranchero beans, Spanish rice, and a Catalina Taco Salad to make it a complete meal.
This Bay Area restaurant ships nationwide and has a holiday menu with an impressive 1-pound Maple Mustard Glazed Crispy Skin Ham, Chicken Pot Pie, Shepherd’s Pie, and other indulgent vegan dishes.
Tamales are traditionally eaten during the holiday season, so why not order some from the experts? If you’re in the Los Angeles area, put your order in for tamales, pupusas, taco kits, and much more by December 18.
If you’re in the Washington, D.C., area, Roots Market has a vegan holiday catering menu with plenty of dishes to choose from, including Herb-Panko Chick’n, Baked Mac & Cheese, Chocolate Swiss Roll Log, and even brunch options for Christmas morning.
Setting a Zoom background is an easy way to spread an animal rights message. It helps spark discussions of the animal issues that are important to you. Pick one of these PETA messages to get the conversation started—preferably over a delicious vegan meal.
As this troubling year comes to a close, it’s more important than ever to practice kindness and generosity—toward all individuals. Going vegan is one of the kindest things that you can do for animals, the environment, and yourself. Inspire someone to go vegan by giving them a free vegan starter kit, or get them started with a Vegan Power Pack:
Tomorrow, at the peak of the busy holiday shopping season, PETA supporters in animal masks will surround an Urban Outfitters’ store in SoHo as part of the group’s new international campaign demanding that all Urban Outfitters, Inc., brands—which include Anthropologie, Free People, and Urban Outfitters—stop selling alpaca fleece and anything else cruelly obtained from animals. The protesters will hold signs showing the terrified faces of exploited animals and others reading, “The Face of Fashion Is Fear.”
When: Saturday, December 12, 12 noon
Where: Urban Outfitters, 628 Broadway, New York
PETA launched the campaign after Anthropologie was implicated in a first-of-its-kind PETA investigation into the alpaca industry revealing that workers at a farm in Peru tied crying alpacas to a rack, pulling their legs so hard that they nearly came out of their sockets, and left them with bloody wounds from rough shearing. The mutilated animals spit and vomited in fear.
“Urban Outfitters brands want to appeal to open-minded and progressive young people, but they’re missing the mark by selling fleece taken from animals who get beat up, cut up, and killed in the process,” says PETA Executive Vice President Tracy Reiman. “Anything forcibly taken from an animal is a product of fear, and PETA is holding Urban Outfitters to its consumer pledge of sustainability and ethics by calling on the company to sell only vegan materials, which would be easy for it to do because it already stocks them.”
PETA and its affiliates have released dozens of videos revealing that during shearing, workers hit, kick, and mutilate gentle sheep for their wool; leave sensitive goats with bloody, gaping wounds at mohair and cashmere operations; burn, electroshock, beat, and slaughter cows for leather; yank out the feathers of ducks and geese by the fistful for down; and boil silkworms alive to produce silk.
PETA has also held protests at Urban Outfitters stores in Austin, Texas; Kansas City, Missouri; San Diego, and elsewhere, during which protesters stormed the stores and took over the front window displays.
PETA—whose motto reads, in part, that “animals are not ours to wear”—opposes speciesism, a human-supremacist worldview. For more information, please visit PETA.org or follow the group on Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram.
As you report on the freezing temperatures and heavy snowfall forecast to affect Fredericton, would you please share PETA’s tips for keeping animals safe? They are especially vulnerable in cold weather, and there were at least 37 cold weather–related companion animal deaths in 2019. (Those are just the ones that were reported—most aren’t.)
The following steps can go a long way in helping animals survive Fredericton’s fierce winter:
Bring Them Indoors
Companion animals should always live indoors. “Backyard dogs” and “outdoor cats”—like those featured in Breaking the Chain, the new documentary produced by Oscar winner Anjelica Huston—often go without adequate food, water, shelter, and veterinary care. They are no better equipped to survive freezing temperatures or extreme weather conditions than humans are, they suffer terribly from frostbite, and they can die of exposure.
Gear Up
Coats will keep dogs comfortable in cold weather, secure harnesses can help prevent them from getting loose on walks, and booties will protect their sensitive paw pads from the frozen ground. Keep walks short in cold weather, especially for shorthaired dogs.
Don’t Forget Birds
During extreme winter weather, provide birds and other wild animals with access to an emergency water supply by filling a heavy nonmetal water bowl (tongues can freeze to metal) and breaking the surface ice at least twice a day.
Good Samaritans who see companion animals kept chained or penned outside 24/7 or without adequate shelter from the elements should note the animals’ exact location and alert local law-enforcement authorities immediately.Anyone who leaves animals outside to suffer in severe weather may be prosecuted.
Thank you George for demonstrating the importance of adoption! 
