Bodybuilder Jon Venus Tells Fans He Has Returned to a Plant-Based Diet

Bodybuilder Jon Venus made headlines this summer after ditching veganism in favor of an omnivorous diet. Now, Venus is back in the spotlight again after making a YouTube video titled "I am Sorry," where he apologizes to his fans for his self-described 'cringy' behavior of eating meat and dairy, a move that had disappointed his 368,000 subscribers.

In the video, he tells fans that he and his family have returned to their plant-based diets. Over the summer, many of his devoted followers had accused him of spreading misinformation about the dietary needs of children when he said he was leaving the vegan lifestyle in part because of his concerns about raising his son vegan. In the new video, he addressed their feelings and these issues.

"First of all, [I am] starting by apologizing and sincerely saying that I'm sorry," said Venus at the start of his 7-minute video. "The way that I've behaved on YouTube and the things that I've said and shown have been really insensitive and I really don't feel good about it," said Venus. "There is no excuse for it. There are no pointing fingers at anyone else, its all my fault, and I take full responsibility for being insensitive and trying to make videos without you guys, the audience, in mind."

Venus decided to eat animal products again this summer after worrying that he was not providing his child with optimal nutrients and explained that fear was the driving factor behind this decision rather than logic.

"This was definitely a decision out of fear because I'm fearful of the health and well being of my child. Everything I did was because I was scared I wasn't providing enough bioavailable nutrients to my kid on a plant-based diet even though there were no signs of detrimental effects. Fear is powerful. It was amplified by my personal experiences watching people I know deteriorating in health–they were plant-based, they were vegan so that definitely played a huge role in the fear cycle that I've been in for probably a solid year, maybe even more."

After taking responsibility and explaining his journey, Venus went on to share how he was driven to a vegan diet in the first place, saying, "I went vegan after watching Earthlings and that's always been my main mission, to spread compassion and positivity, not only in the animal kingdom but the world in general, to human beings. All of us coming together and becoming better versions of ourselves and helping the planet thrive."

Venus and his family are now back on a plant-based diet and have given up animal products again for the past six weeks. He closed the video by thanking his fans, saying, ”I really appreciate all you guys who have stuck through the journey and the ups and downs, and the bumpy ride. And I also understand the people who have left and have had enough of this crazy guy right here (referring to himself). So no bad feelings no negative feelings towards anyone."