Gayle King recently visited the Jon and Tracey Stewart's New Jersey farm, and it turns out the couple loves pit bulls just as much as their farm animals.

Tracey Stewart Reveals Husband Jon Stewart Is a Vegetarian

By Brianne Hogan | October 12, 2015

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In a recent piece for The New York Times, Tracey Stewart finally confirms what we have long suspected (and hoped): that Jon Stewart is, in fact, a vegetarian.

The feature, entitled “Tracey Stewart’s Animal Planet,” follows the animal advocate at the Stewarts’ new farm to talk about her new book, “Do Unto Animals: A Friendly Guide to How Animals Live, and How We Can Make Their Lives Better.” The book is both a memoir and a how-to on further extending your knowledge of animals and improving your relationship with them.

It’s at the end of the interview when Tracey reveals her husband has recently become a vegetarian, who still eats eggs and cheese. “He’s a little afraid to say it out loud,” Stewart told the Times. “He thinks he’s going to be caught somewhere eating meat.”

So, there we have it: the former “Daily Show” host isn’t vegan, but he’s a vegetarian and it’s definitely a step in the right direction.

The rest of interview with Tracey is a fascinating one. In it, she credits animals for most of the good things that have happened in her life, including meeting her future husband. Tracey reveals that she was smitten with the comedian on their first date, but she was terribly allergic to his two cats of which he had inherited from a past relationship.

“The fact that he got custody of the cats said so much about him,” Stewart told the Times. “This was my dream man. But I also knew that because he loved animals, if those animals didn’t like me, that might really count against me. I was like: ‘They’re going to love me. I don’t care if I have hives.’ ”

Now, the Stewarts have extended their family to two horses, two pigs, four dogs, three rabbits, two guinea pigs, one hamster, one bird and two fish (and two children).

Tracey, a former vet technician, also talked about her own plans for running an animal sanctuary and educational center at their new family farm, which came from her need to work with animals again.

We further congratulate the Stewarts on their passion and dedication for animals — and we’re not the only ones. The couple will be honored at Farm Sanctuary’s gala later this month for their compassion for farm animals.

Via The New York Times

Photo: Shutterstock

0 Comments

Bob Linden

An egg and cheese eating “vegetarian” is meaningless. He may as well eat hamburgers and chickens. He is no different from any “meat” eater. He has done nothing.
- Alison Swann
  
  Yes he has. He has massively cut down on his impact on animals. He still has some way to go, but it is a start. It is ridiculous to say he has ‘done nothing’.
  - Bob Linden
    
    It’s ridiculous to say “it’s ridiculous to say he has done nothing”. I think that the cows and chickens oppressed to provide the non-vegan “vegetarian food” would agree with me.
    - Jamie Roberts
      
      But the livestock animals are not being killed, so it’s a start – and more than most people ever do.
      - Bob Linden
        
        Who are “livestock” animals? If you mean COWS, they ARE being killed – after miserable lives of rape, kidnapping, and torture. Chickens are also killed, whether you label them “livestock” or not, killed in massive numbers, also after miserable lives. Probably, one should rid oneself of dairy and eggs FIRST, if one is on a compassionate journey.
      - Jingles
        
        JFC, people like you are why most people run screaming from veganism.
- devoe6
  
  That is simply not true. Cutting out chicken alone saves so many lives.
  - Bob Linden
    
    An egg eater does not cut out chicken. An egg eater cuts up chicken, paying for all the male chicks to be ground alive just after birth, paying to have the hen’s face mutilated, before she too is murdered.
    - devoe6
      
      I am well aware of what happens to male chicks on egg laying farms. That does not negate that no longer eating chicken makes a huge difference, especially to the chicken.
      - Bob Linden
        
        So, based on this chart, your defense of egg eaters is that they are only responsible for the killing of hundreds of millions of animals annually instead of billions?
      - cooki2581
        
        Unless the eggs come from your backyard rescue chickens 🙂 Love my girls. I tell them they are beautiful every day.
      - devoe6
        
        Yes, and that’s not “doing nothing” would you seriously prefer billions be killed instead?
    - Ichabod Cray
      
      You must “veganically” grow harvest and process all of your own food, right? [Eyeroll]
      
      Those chicks that are ground up become this thing commonly referred to as FERTILIZER….to grow, you know, VEGETABLES. Organically grown vegetables also come from farms that use a variety of manures that come from farm ANIMALS. The farmers SELL that manure produced by their murder operations, so by buying the vegetables that are grown with murdered male chicks and cattle manure, you yourself are supporting the murder of untold numbers of animals every year.
      
      I’ve never once seen a “Veganically Grown” label on any product. So, unless all you eat is home grown food that you know for a fact wasn’t grown with any animal fertilizers that you might want to S.T.F.U.
- Jeff
  
  Someone who has co-founded an animal sanctuary and started to speak out on behalf of animals has hardly “done nothing.” However, the animal rights movement is a social justice movement. To say that, for example, two people who become vegetarian and cut out half of their animal product consumption are having the same impact as one person who becomes vegan and takes the public position that animals are not ours to exploit or kill reduces it to a “numbers game.” When someone, especially a prominent public figure, cuts out meat but not dairy and eggs, they are implicitly reinforcing the false notion that there is an ethical distinction between meat and dairy/eggs. Going vegetarian may feel like a huge step for someone whose animal product consumption is a deeply entrenched habit, but from an ethical standpoint it’s at best a small one. Stewart going vegan and becoming an outspoken animal rights activist would be huge.
  - Bob Linden
    
    Someone who has co-founded an animal sanctuary and begun to speak out on behalf of animals should have a CLEAR VEGAN MESSAGE.
    - Jeff
      
      Obviously, Bob. That’s what I just said.
- veggiedude
  
  Strongly disagree. Vegetarians have taken a step for a smaller carbon footprint and most often are the future vegans. They just need more time.
  - Edith
    
    Unfortunately, the planet doesn’t have “more time” to wait…
  - Laurie conrad
    
    Many are future vegans – yes!!!
  - Bob Linden
    
    The planet doesn’t have more time for the “vegetarian” methane produced by cows…
- Jamie Roberts
  
  It’s NOT meaningless. It’s ridiculous to make this claim. This is where we vegans get a bad name. Of course not eating meat – which includes pigs, cows, chickens, etc. – saves lives. Does it save all animal lives? No, Hundreds of millions of male baby chicks will be thrown live in a grinder at birth because they can’t lay eggs, egg-laying chickens will have their beaks shorn off without anethesia and spend most of their lives squished between other chickens in the dark. The male offspring of dairy cows will be tortured into veal. However, it is a start. We are brainwashed from birth to believe we must eat animal products. It takes time for some to see how heinous this belief is. However, vegetarians do save many animal lives and are more easily convinced to take that step toward veganism. Meanwhile, let’s not dismiss Jon’s progress. And let’s get off our high horses (yeah, yeah, vegans don’t ride horses). Ridiculing people will not win us allies.
  - Bob Linden
    
    I don’t understand your point about vegans getting a “bad name” for pointing out the truth about the name “vegetarian”, which has been compromised and hijacked by the dairy and egg industries who laugh all the way to the bank, financing massacre with dollars intended for compassion. If it”s a first step to give up oppressing a species or two, and still finance rape, kidnapping, mutilation, and mass killing, well, yippee. Let’s even give it a benevolent word to celebrate the good. Unless animal sanctuary owners are vegan and present a direct vegan medsage, animal sanctuaries become just another hobby for the rich. Too bad the Stewarts are getting their experience and education from a flawed source like Farm Sanctuary which can’t even get it right itself.
    - Jingles
      
      Another “hobby” that saves animals….. you’re opposed to this, why exactly?
      
      People like you are why veganism will never become more common. Life (in all things) is not about perfection. And screaming at someone for becoming vegetarian or being a vegetarian and having the GALL (lol) to open an animal sanctuary with their own damn money and make the lives of the animals that live there as happy as can be is completely ridiculous.
- Mind Yoga
  
  Agreed. He is responsible for the deaths of animals. Whether that is 10 or 10,000.
designby

Excellent! I was vegetarian before being vegan. I’m glad I didn’t have anyone in my life diminishing my achievements. Way to go Jon!
- Laurie conrad
  
  Many people were! There are as many paths to veganism as there are people. How wonderful!
Robbie Thomas

I was a vegetarian for a year before I became vegan. So it is a start.
yogachick

I predict it won’t be long until Jon goes all the way to vegan! I hope so!
Laurie conrad

Great news! I am vegan and if any vegans come on here and poo poo the fact he is vegetarian don’t let that make you think vegans are terrible. The truth is vegetarianism does do equal harm to animals since all milk and egg layers are the ones slaughtered for meat. However . . . he is on that road to veganism. He and others won’t stay on that road if stones are thrown at them. Gentle and kind encouragement and warm welcoming into the fold help people continue along that path from humankind / mankind to human = kind and man = kind.
James White

I absolutely find Mr and Mrs Stewarts good deeds, good hearts, good people all around so encouraging. I go on with Trevor, I smile when I think Jon
Mind Yoga

Yes he has made the first step. There seems to be a disproportionate amount of kudos for him though as he is still involved in the animal cruelty business by eating dairy and eggs. How many animals has he saved? And where from? How many stay in captivity to keep his egg and milk supply going? Just doing the maths here before he gets too many accolades, donations and gala invites. I hope his message makes a difference as isn’t just celebrity attention.

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