Lizzo Conquers the “Hot Ones” Challenge Her Way, With Vegan Wings

|Updated Aug 5, 2022

No one can question Lizzo's love for spicy food after her recent appearance on Hot Ones, the Youtube interview series where celebrities answer questions while eating 10 increasingly spicy hot wings. The pop icon stayed true to her dietary preferences and requested Daring's vegan chicken for her spicy wing challenge. During the interview, Lizzo talked with host Sean Evans about her musical training, the Minneapolis music scene, her inspirations, and more.

With the help of Daring's vegan wings, Lizzo took the challenge head-on, claiming that she loves (and can handle) spicy foods. “I had an addiction to Hot Cheetos and I survived the one chip challenge,” Lizzo said. “So I think this is going to be a piece of f*cking cake. So try me.”

By the eighth wing, Lizzo shed her jacket and dipped her vegan hot wing into a dairy-free milkshake provided to calm the heat. Finishing the interview in tears, the musical artist is given a bowl of oat milk ice cream to help her reach the finish line. Throughout the episode, Lizzo talked about her favorite fashion moments, her newest album Special, and her favorite vegan plantain sandwich.

“I had a really good one at Black Rican Vegan,” Lizzo said. “I feel like it was seasoned. It was juicy. It had vegan cheese on it.”

Although Lizzo's ice cream, milkshakes, and wings were vegan, two of the featured Hot Ones sauces contain honey: Island Wing Sauce and The Seventh Reaper.

Lizzo's Favorite Vegan Foods

Lizzo's busy on and off the stage, but when she's not performing, the superstar is sharing vegan recipes with her 25 million TikTok followers. The pop icon is frequently showing fans how to cook vegan foods and revealing her favorite plant-based dishes. Last March, the star detailed everything she eats in a day on her vegan diet, featuring plant-based dishes like dairy-free Banza Chickpea Mac and Cheese and a signature protein shake.

But going vegan wasn't always easy for Lizzo. The star revealed that keeping up with a plant-based diet became more manageable as time went on. At the core of her videos, Lizzo emphasizes that she does not eat vegan to meet a certain body ideal or weight expectation. She highlights how there is a clear distinction between health and physique, urging fans to avoid physical judgments.

"So next time you want to come to somebody and judge them, whether they drink kale smoothies or eat McDonald's, or workout or not workout, how about you look at your own f*cking self and worry about your own self because health is not just determined by what you look like on the outside but who you are on the inside," Lizzo said in June 2020. "So how about you look at your own self and a lot of yall have to a f*cking cleanse for your insides. Namastay. Have a great day.”

Most recently, Lizzo helped popularize Juicy Marbles' new Plant-Based Filet Mignon. The singer served up a vegan steak and eggs with the help of JUST Egg's plant-based egg alternative.

Celebrities Who Chose Vegan Wings on Hot Ones 

Lizzo is not the first major celebrity to prefer vegan wings during their Hot Ones interview. Several other celebrities joined Evans with a plate of plant-based wings, including highly vocal vegans like Steve-O and Billie Eilish. Here are some beloved stars that avoided animal-based wings during their Hot Ones challenge.

  1. Billie Eilish: Eilish's vegan activism and climate action led to her being crowned PETA's Person of the Year 2021.
  2. Steve-O: Once the legendary prankster transitioned to a healthier lifestyle, he also picked up a plant-based diet and hasn't looked back since.
  3. Thundercat: Thundercat stopped eating meat several years ago when he quit drinking alcohol, claiming that the change helped him lose 100 pounds.
  4. Zoe Kravitz: Kravitz grew up vegan, but claims she has since stopped following a plant-based diet. She told Evans she hopes to do better while chowing down on vegan wings during the show.
  5. RZA: Wu-Tang Clan member RZA stands as the first Hot Ones guest to eat vegan wings. The legendary rapper has consistently supported vegan ventures with his "Plant Grants" that help fund Black-owned restaurants.
  6. Keke Palmer: Keke Palmer "dabbles" in the plant-based lifestyle. Palmer joined Evans twice on the show and ate vegan wings to prove she thinks plant-centric.
  7. Natalie Portman: Longtime vegan actress Natalie Portman unsurprising chose vegan wings – shocking Evan with her spice tolerance.
  8. Paul Rudd: We might not be sure if Paul Rudd is vegan, he did choose to avoid chicken wings during his hilarious interview.
  9. Olivia Rodrigo: This young star is not fully vegan, but aims to choose meatless options whenever possible.
  10. Kristen Bell: Bell started eating vegetarianism at 11 years old and finally transitioned to a vegan diet in 2012. Now, Bell promotes plant-based living through investments and lifestyle practices.

For more plant-based happenings, visit The Beet's News articles

Sandra Oh and 20 Others It Might Surprise You to Learn Are Plant-Based

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1. Paul McCartney

Sir James Paul McCartney is no stranger to a meat-free life as he's been vegetarian for 45 years. He initially went vegetarian in 1975 with his first wife Linda McCartney and began his advocacy for animal rights.


Jason Bahr

2. Sia

If you find yourself constantly singing along to the song The Greatest, then you're already a Sia fan. Sia tweeted that she is "fully vegan now" back in 2014 and stays true to her word


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3. Sandra Oh

Way back at the start of Grey's Anatomy, Sandra Oh took the cast out for a plant-based lunch at Truly Vegan in Hollywood. In her effort to inspire contemporaries to eat vegan, the TV star is known to invite her friends for vegan meals that are delicious. She adopted the vegan lifestyle years ago and continues to quietly live a cruelty-free life.


4. Gisele Bündchen

Giselle revealed that when she was at the peak of her modeling career, her diet consisted of "cigarettes, wine, and mocha Frappuccinos," according to an interview in People Magazine. Now 39 and the mother of two children, Gisele eats a "mostly" plant-based diet to nourish her body and stay fueled.


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5. Alec Baldwin

Alec Baldwin has made a bigger commitment to plant-based eating since he was first told by doctors that he was pre-diabetic and needed to change his diet. That was decades ago. But, over the last few years, he's been vocal about the benefits not only to his health but also the impact plant-based eating has on the environment.


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7. Pamela Anderson

We all remember Pamela Anderson as the curvaceous blonde in the hit series Baywatch as she played Casey Jean in the red one-piece swimsuit that brought her world-class fame. She is a life-long active animal rights advocate and teamed up with PETA to join the Animal Protection Organization.


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8. Kristen Stewart

"We shouldn't eat as much meat guys," Kristen Stewart told GQ in an interview in January. The Twilight star has made a full 180 from vampire to vegan. When she appeared on the game show "Hot Ones" she chose to skip the wings and instead compete by eating increasing spicier sauce on vegan cauliflower wings.


@jaredleto

9. Jared Leto

This award-winning actor eats a high-protein diet consisting of only plants. Leto, who has been plant-based for 20 years, says it keeps him "shredded" in an interview. Now, 48, Leto looks half his age.


@csyresmith

10. Jaden Smith

Jaden Smith switched up his diet from vegan to vegetarian, meaning that he doesn't eat meat but does eat dairy from time to time. In a recent article by Plant Based News, Smith admits he skipped meals and was not getting the proper nutrition when he was vegan, but this hasn't stopped him from espousing the plant-based life.


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11. Meghan Markle

Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex has never admitted to being fully vegan, but sources say, she eats a plant-based diet most days during the week. She is teaching Prince Harry vegan cooking and in a Plant-Based News article, Markle explained how she hopes to raise baby Archie on a mostly vegan diet.


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12. Serena Williams

As a professional athlete, fueling the body is a key factor to Willaim's successes. In a Bon Appetite article, she explained that she adopted a plant-based diet back in 2012, she was eating a lot "healthier" for her sister, Venus, who eats a strict vegan diet for health reasons.


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13. John Mackey

The popular grocery store, Whole Foods Market sells vegan products and nonvegan products which arises black lash from ethical vegans as CEO John Mackey follows a strict vegan diet. The successful businessman grew up in Houston Texas and told Business Insider that he would traditionally eat processed foods for dinner while watching TV with his family. Now, Mackey steers clear from the processed isle and eats a clean vegan diet and feels amazing at the age of 65.


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14. Jason Mraz

Jason Mraz, singer of the popular song, I'm Yours, committed to a vegan diet to support his friend diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes. Mraz says he eats mostly raw food and told magazine sources his favorite vegan dish is "Chocomole, a mixture of avocados, dates, cacao, agave nectar, and coconut oil."


@leonalewis

15. Leona Lewis

Long time vegan, Leona Lewis grew up in a vegan household and continues to eat a plant-based diet. Lewis first adopted the diet at 12 when she learned about the health risks of eating animal products but told Women's Health Magazine she occasionally eats an omelet. She also mentioned her 2:30 lunch is normally a kale salad topped with dried cranberries and she loves a veggie stir-fry for dinner.


@hannahteter

16. Hannah Teter

Hannah Teter changed her diet after watching the documentary, Earthlings when she discovered how "horrible" factory farming is. After a strict vegetarian diet, Teter liked the way she performed as an athlete and believes that her diet helped her win gold at the 2006 games.


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17. Maggie Q,

You may recognize Maggie Q as the star of the Nikita series, but in the plant-based world, she's well-known for her heroic activism. Maggie Q has followed a strict vegan diet for 19 years, making her a true veteran of the lifestyle. She made the plant-based diet transition because she felt sluggish and had low energy, she has said. The famous actress keeps in shape by eating veggies and plant-based protein and working out with a passion.


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18. Madelaine Petsch,

Winner of the first Masterchef vegan cook-off with Gordon Ramsay, Madelaine Petsch was raised vegetarian and went completely vegan at age 14. She claims that she started this diet before it was "trendy" and shot a campaign for PETA last year wearing a dress made of bok choy. Petsch says her vegan diet allows her to feel "healthier" and not "lethargic."


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19. Millie Bobbi Brown

After doing a little sleuthing on her social media platforms we think Millie Bobbi Brown qualifies as plant-based. Whether or not she is actually skipping all meat and dairy, one thing is for sure: She eats mostly salads, vegetables and grains and lives a predominantly plant-based lifestyle full of healthy foods.


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20. Chloe and Halle Bailey

The grammy-nominated sisters went vegan for a week with their mom but liked it so much they decided to stick with it. For one thing, it helps keep their "voices in shape" by eating a vegan diet and they emphasize the fact that dairy helps to limit extra mucus build-up, according to a PETA interview.


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21. Hilary Duff

Best known for her role as Lizzie Mcguire in the long-running series, Hilary Duff is a recent vegan advocate and entrepreneur. She recently launched the vegan and cruelty-free eyeshadow palette, "Day Dreamer" and changed her diet to plant-based last fall.