Peter Dinklage, the Animals Need You
An open letter to an ex-defender of animal rights
Background: Game of Thrones star Peter Dinklage, who had avoided meat since the age of 16 and was known as an outspoken animal rights advocate, recently revealed that he started eating meat again. This decision may seem like a simple dietary change, but it has profound consequences, which I address in this urgent open letter to him.
Dear Peter,
Let me start by saying that this letter isn’t written to diminish the respect I have for you as a person and actor. Your talent, charisma, and passion have inspired millions, myself included.
I’ve always admired how you’ve used your platform for good, especially your strong stance on animal rights. You did what many powerful and wealthy people will never do: You stood up for the voiceless, lending your face to initiatives like the Walk for Farm Animals and other campaigns highlighting the horrors of animal agriculture.
You were one of the early pioneers, protesting animal cruelty when it wasn’t nearly as mainstream or widely accepted as it is now. For that, I sincerely thank you.
The purpose of this letter
When you recently revealed that you’ve returned to eating meat, I was shocked — not only because of your questionable reasons for doing so, but also due to the blatant contradiction to your earlier values and beliefs.
Other commentators have highlighted significant inconsistencies in your reasoning, particularly regarding your timeline and your claims about being unable to find vegan food.
In this letter, I won’t reiterate what has already been covered extensively. But I feel compelled to address the implications of your choices and contrast them with the values you once advocated.
Quotes from yourself
Peter, there is a reason why your animal rights advocacy struck a chord with so many: You spoke with conviction. Here are some powerful things you said.
“By buying meat, eggs, and dairy products, you’re paying for cruelty.” (Source)
“I’m outraged by animal cruelty whenever I see it.” (Source)
“Animals used for food are treated like unfeeling machinery.” (Source)
“I wouldn’t hurt a cat or a dog — or a chicken or a cow. And I wouldn’t ask someone else to hurt them for me.” (Source)
— Peter Dinklage
Eyes on the victims
You specifically mentioned that you are eating chicken and fish again. Let’s have a quick look at these species — and what you used to say about them.
Chickens
It is almost surreal that someone like you, who once spoke with such urgency about the horrors of slaughterhouses, has now returned to eating chicken.
Chickens are sentient beings capable of suffering. They have complex emotions and surprising intelligence, including the ability to count, identify images, locate hidden and switched objects, and recognize playing card faces. Yet, they are arguably the most abused land animals on the planet. Every single minute, 140,000 chickens get slaughtered.
Peter, here is what you used to say about their suffering:
“Birds born into the meat industry are crowded into filthy sheds by the tens of thousands, forced to live in their own excrement and drugged and bred to grow such unnaturally large upper bodies that their legs often become crippled under the weight. To get them to the slaughterhouse, workers grab turkeys and chickens by their delicate wings and legs and slam them into crates. At the slaughterhouse, they are shackled upside down by their legs and have their throats slit, often while they are still conscious.”
Fish
Your decision to eat fish is equally perplexing. You justified this decision by citing nostalgic memories of fishing trips with your father. While I understand how sentimentality can shape our choices, is this really enough to justify supporting a system of unspeakable cruelty?
Nostalgia, like tradition, can never excuse needless violence — just as we wouldn’t accept other violent behaviors simply because they remind someone of childhood joy.
Peter, here is a statement you once made about fish used for food:
“Fish feel pain just as mammals do, yet they have no legal protection from cruel treatment. When pulled from the water, not only do they suffocate, they also undergo excrutiating decompression and the extreme change in pressure can cause their stomachs to be forced into their mouths.”
Your choices promote factory-farmed animal products
Let me reiterate what I wrote in my recent letter to Kirsten Bell, as it applies to you in exactly the same way:
Even if you are committed to sourcing meat from animals raised under “premium” conditions (which, as you know very well, doesn’t guarantee animal welfare or environmental sustainability), the reality is that most of your fans won’t be able to afford the same.
In a society where the 99% of all meat comes from factory farms, your pro-meat stance will inspire people to buy and consume the remains of factory-farmed animals.
Your choices, though they may seem harmless or small, not only affect the individual animals that are killed for your consumption but also contribute to the normalization of a global system of violent exploitation.
Your special responsibility
Peter, you bear a distinct responsibility — not only because you are a person of great influence, but also because you have actively supported animal rights in the past.
When someone as prominent as you, who has openly fought for these causes, returns to eating animals, it sends a dangerous message. It undermines the credibility of the animal rights movement and plants doubt in those who are uncertain or just beginning their journey toward more compassionate choices.
If someone like Peter Dinklage, who has participated in multiple PETA campaigns and inspired many of his fans towards plant-based living, can turn back and abandon the animals, what does that mean for the rest of us?
The animals have never needed you more
Never in the history of humanity have so many animals been held in captivity and exploited worldwide as they are today. Every 30 minutes, the number of animals killed for human consumption matches the total casualties of the six years of the Second World War — the deadliest conflict in human history.
And the global consumption of animal products is still growing rapidly.
As rampant pro-meat misinformation clouds people’s perceptions and billions of tax dollars are spent to unfairly prop up livestock production, we urgently need public figures to take a stand against this abhorrent industry.
“Silence in the face of injustice is complicity with the oppressor.”
— Ginetta Sagan
A call to return to compassion
Peter, you started eating meat again while filming Game of Thrones in Croatia, where you mentioned it was “impossible” to maintain a vegan diet. While there are valid reasons to question this explanation, I’m not here to challenge it. What's more important is that Game of Thrones wrapped up years ago, and now you’re back in the U.S., where plant-based options are readily available.
Already 10 years ago, you said the following: “People think plant-based food is more expensive and harder to find, but it truly is less expensive and very easy to find.” And we all know that the availability of plant-based options has massively improved since then.
So, what is holding you back from living your principles now?
Conclusion
You were once a beacon of hope for so many who believe in compassion for all living beings. As a longtime advocate for animal rights, you championed a movement that urgently needs voices like yours.
Peter, in times of rampant pro-meat misinformation and in a world where animal cruelty continues to grow rapidly, the innocent victims need your help more than ever. Your decision to return to eating meat feels like a betrayal to the animals, leaving them to fend for themselves in a system that mercilessly exploits them.
You’ve seen the horrors of livestock farming, and you’ve spoken out powerfully against it. The world hasn’t changed; the same industries that profit from animal suffering still exist. In fact, their revenues and lobby have never been stronger.
I believe you are a kind and thoughtful individual who cares deeply about justice and fairness. If people like you, who have the platform and the heart to make a difference, won’t lead the way … who is going to?
Your voice and your example can make an immense difference in the lives of millions of sentient beings. So please, Peter, reconsider.
In everyone’s interest, rejoin the struggle for a kinder world.
With respect and hope,
Pala Najana
WILL PETER EVER SEE THIS?
The chances that Peter will read this open letter are slim. But we live in the age of social media, so who knows? Maybe we can make it happen! Help me increase the chances — and inspire others towards plant-based living — by sharing this post far and wide. 🙏🌱
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So sad. I shared. What the f is going on? I think some big network is paying people big money for this. How else can we explain it?
shame on him! respect gone!