Celebrities Who Have Been Criticized By PETA

PETA is one of those animal rights groups known as a firestarter of sorts. It's controversial, especially since it has been called out for euthanizing animals PETA was supposed to save - even when they were perfectly healthy. As an organization, it seems less interested in helping animals and more interested in just making money and scandals.

That being said, a lot of celebrities seem to hate PETA with a passion - and for good reason. Many of the celebrities who have been criticized by PETA over the years lost fans, revenue, and respect from those that mattered over minor infractions. That being said, some of them definitely deserved the hate they got.

Here are some of the biggest celebrities who have been criticized by PETA, and why they hate this animal rights organization.

Lady Gaga

"Born This Way" singer Lady Gaga had gotten quite a bit of flak from PETA, especially when it came to a series of fur coats that she wore in 2012. In an open letter, PETA Vice President Dan Mathers called her out for wearing what appeared to be a real fur coat after saying that she hates fur on Ellen:

"Many of your gay fans, I among them, have long admired what you told Ellen [DeGeneres]: 'I hate fur and I don't wear fur.' I included a link because these recent photos of you in fox and rabbit and with a wolf carcass make it appear that you have amnesia. What happened? Are your stylists telling you that it's fake, or are you a turncoat?"

The open letter also made a veiled threat towards Gaga, saying that she's "making herself a target" for similar attacks on celebrities that have been carried out by animal rights extremists. Needless to say, it sounded very much like a bullying issue.

Much like other celebrities who have been criticized by PETA, Lady Gaga was quick to clap back at Mathers, and pointed out that she had worn way worse things than a regular animal pelt in the past. Lady Gaga also managed to do it in a very classy way.

"I do not however support violent, abusive, and childish campaigns for any cause...I am choosing not to comment on whether or not the furs I purchase are faux fur-pile or real because I would think it [hypocritical] not to acknowledge the python, ostrich, cow hide, leather, lamb, alligator, 'Kermit' and not to mention meat, that I have already worn. This should already put me in a category as one who appreciates and adores the beauty of animals in fashion, but am not a strict vegan."

That being said, Gaga was able to quash the beef, primarily because her fans didn't care when she was only dressed in meat.

Kim Kardashian

Of all the celebrities who have been criticized by PETA, Kim Kardashian seemed to be way too easy a target.

She loves wearing fur and leather. The makeup she wears is probably tested on animals. Additionally, the fashionable reality star also had gotten plenty of tabloid attention for her strict adherence to the meat-heavy Atkins diet in the past.

At one point in 2012, Kim Kardashian ended up getting a PETA activist really irate with a fur outfit. As a result, the activist attacked her with a bucket of flour. Kim, unfazed, just shook herself off and continued to carry out interviews.

Kanye West

Yes, Kim's husband, Kanye, also ranks among celebrities who have been criticized by PETA. Surprised? You shouldn't be. The rapper actively poked fun at the animal rights organization with a song line telling people to "tell PETA my mink is draggin' on the floor."

PETA did not take that joke very well. In fact, they released a pretty angry tirade against the rapper saying that he had the fashion sense of a caveman for wearing mink. Ouch.

Well, at least Kimye can both bond over the fact that PETA hates them, right?

Honey Boo Boo

If you haven't noticed, PETA has a very strong reputation in certain circles as being a bully when it comes to their critiques of people. Sometimes, the celebrities who have been criticized by PETA aren't even old enough to really fight back.

Such was the case with Honey Boo Boo, the breakout child star of Toddlers and Tiaras. She's still not even a teenager, for the record, which means that by the time she was being yelled at by PETA, she was probably 5.

Honey Boo Boo has a pet chicken named "Nugget." PETA decided to tell her to rename the chicken to "Not A Nugget" as a way to inform her viewers that they shouldn't eat chicken.

It was a light critique, but come on, PETA. She's just a kid!

Ashley Olsen

As many Olsen twins fans may remember, Ashely Olsen was suffering from a pretty serious eating disorder in the mid-2000s. So, she wasn't really eating much meat - or anything else, to be honest. But, that didn't stop PETA from bullying her by electing her on the animal rights organizations "Worst Dressed" list in 2006.

This sounds pretty okay-ish considering some of the other things stars had to deal with from the organization, until you find out what PETA had the nerve to write on their site:

"Wearing fur does add 20 pounds, but if Ashley wants to fill out her frame, we suggest using a fork instead."

Yes, the group illness-shamed a woman with a potentially lethal eating disorder "for animals." This is really not cool, and reprehensible to say the least.

Jennifer Lawrence

Admittedly, we're fans of the faux fur PETA endorses. Skinning animals isn't cool, and as such, we can, at the very least, understand why so many people are anti-fur. Of all the celebrities who have been criticized by PETA, Jennifer Lawrence might be the one who we may feel may have been justified by their abuse.

In Winter's Bone, Jennifer Lawrence had to skin a squirrel - apparently, a real one. Reporters asked her about whether or not it was real, and the actress said, "“I should say it wasn’t real, for PETA. But screw PETA.

That's pretty grisly, if you think about it. PETA was very quick to issue a statement that made sure she knew that they were not happy with her statement or what she did:

“When people kill animals, it is the animals who are ‘screwed,’ not PETA, and one day I hope she will try to make up for any pain she might cause any animal who did nothing but try to eke out a humble existence in nature.”

This may have been one of the most elegant ways to slam a celebrity we've seen from PETA.

Beyonce

Yes, the Queen Bey is not one to escape PETA's wrath. That being said, we can't help but notice that the organization's critique of the star for wearing a python and iguana skin suit for the Super Bowl was definitely a lot more tactful than most:

"Today's fashions are trending toward humane vegan options, and Beyonce's Super Bowl outfit missed the mark on that score."

This may have something to do with the fact that Beyonce's fans are infamous for being extreme in their reactions to anyone who even remotely critiques her. Perhaps they were worried about angering the Beyhive?

Jennifer Lopez

The Latin sensation has had a longstanding feud with PETA, and we can see why. The group has called her love of fur a "corpse closet," and even made biting jabs about Marc Anthony leaving her because her wardrobe was filled with furs.

Fur wearing is a thing Jennifer Lopez loves to do, and she also uses fur in her clothing line. As a result, the organization regularly protests her and even has an online game called "Fur Bully On The Block" to make sure people know they hate her.

Jessica Simpson

Another star known to wear fur, Jessica Simpson really managed to get a lot of rage from PETA activists. Like many celebrities who have been criticized by PETA, the organization regularly protests Simpson's use of animal products in her clothing line as well as her habit of wearing real fur.

That being said, they've also said that her acting career is "as dead as her wardrobe." Ouch. (Wait, she was an actor?)

Paris Hilton

Celebrity spoiled brat Paris Hilton also managed to get a lot of hatred from PETA - but not usually for the things you'd expect. Rather than the amount of fur and leather the pink-clad heiress was known for touting, what really got PETA's goat was her chihuahua pets.

When the media found out that Paris Hilton had a tendency of "cycling" through her purse-sized pets, PETA freaked out and called her out on creating the trend of "accessory pets."

To be fair, this was an issue back in the 00s. However, Paris Hilton kind of is a horrible person and it's hard to imagine people would want to be like her long-term these days. Of all the celebrities who have been criticized by PETA, we feel least sorry for her.