Joaquin Phoenix won the best actor Oscar for Joker, as predicted. Perhaps less predictable was that his acceptance speech would include him riffing on cow insemination.
Phoenix used his previous BAFTA speech to call out institutional racism, and on Oscar night, he addressed speciesism and animal rights. “I think we’ve become very disconnected from the natural world,” he said, pointing out the entitlement in taking a cow’s milk for our coffee. “We feel entitled to artificially inseminate a cow and when she gives birth, we steal her baby. Even though her cries of anguish are unmistakable.”
He also touched on cancel culture, his own past behavior, and the people who gave him a “second chance.”
The speech took some by surprise, though Phoenix, a longtime vegan, has been doing some behind-the-scenes activism during awards season, starting with the Golden Globes going plant-based. Still, the milk thing was a tipping point.
https://twitter.com/aurabogado/status/1226720208972218368
We just went from racism to oat milk ok!!!
— Zara Rahim (@ZaraRahim) February 10, 2020
Joaquin Phoenix is really out here at the #Oscars lecturing us about how we oppress cows for their milk pic.twitter.com/LmOmqVMXME
— Caleb Hull (@CalebJHull) February 10, 2020
tfw you drink almond milk pic.twitter.com/bJIolX2RFU
— Dave Itzkoff (@ditzkoff) February 10, 2020
joaquin phoenix really stood up on stage and said stop drinking milk u fucking animals #Oscars pic.twitter.com/NGo0zK8yHM
— lauren 🖤 (@RenMarieG) February 10, 2020
https://twitter.com/OrangePaulp/status/1226721079160381440
https://twitter.com/GiuliaRozzi/status/1226743716208988166
When The Joker started talking about milk. #oscars pic.twitter.com/Wi5SkRevrX
— Dorothy Snarker (@dorothysnarker) February 10, 2020
Even People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) chimed in.
“JAW DROP. Sending a HUGE congratulations to #vegan Joaquin Phoenix for winning Best Actor,” the animal rights organization tweeted. “Joaquin has dedicated his life to ending speciesism and that speech was proof that he is never afraid to speak up for ALL beings.”
JAW DROP.
— PETA (@peta) February 10, 2020
Sending a HUGE congratulations to #vegan Joaquin Phoenix for winning Best Actor!
Joaquin has dedicated his life to ending speciesism and that speech was proof that he is never afraid to speak up for ALL beings. #Joker #Oscars #EndSpeciesismpic.twitter.com/FUJ6xPfSjD
Best Actor Joaquin Phoenix is serious about activism.
— PETA (@peta) February 10, 2020
The #Joker star has participated on the ground alongside other activists in several PETA demonstrations & other #AnimalRights protests. That's just one of the many reasons he was named PETA's 2019 Person of the Year! #Oscars pic.twitter.com/di0owDXVNf
In his Golden Globes speech for best actor, Phoenix also touched on veganism and climate change, subtly pivoting the awards show speech from personal reflection to personal responsibility. And… oat milk?
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