Mena Massoud

Mena Massoud is a Canadian actor best known for starring as Aladdin in Disney’s live-action Aladdin (2019). He has also appeared in television series including Amazon’s Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan, and in films such as Netflix’s The Royal Treatment. He has also starred in The Sacrifice Game, Wish You Were Here, and in the lead role of 2026’s Daniel: The Fiery Furnace. In 2023, Massoud began hosting Evolving Vegan on Peacock, a food travel series based on his cookbook and brand of the same name.

Why Mena Massoud is vegan

Mena Massoud is vegan for the animals, the planet and for health.

Massoud went vegan in 2015 due to environmental concerns and has described making the change gradually with friends, then noticing improvements in how he felt physically, including in his training and body composition.¹Davison, C. 2025. :Catching Up with Mena Massoud, Host of the Peacock Travel Series ‘Evolving Vegan’. Forks Over Knives. Available: https://www.forksoverknives.com/people/mena-massoud-on-peacock-tv-evolving-vegan-and-his-plant-based-journey/ [Accessed 12 August 2026].

He is the founder of Evolving Vegan, a plant-based food brand that expanded into a cookbook and the aforementioned food and travel series. Massoud has described the project as focused on making plant-based food appealing to a broad audience and reducing the sense of pressure or judgement that can sometimes be associated with the “vegan” label. In interviews, he has also discussed cooking as a regular part of his routine and as something he uses to stay grounded while working.

“It’s not about labels, or eating habits or any of that crap. It’s about evolving in the right direction so that we can help save our planet, our bodies and our fellow living souls.”²Evolving Vegan. 2021. About Evolving Vegan. Available: https://www.evolvingvegan.com/pages/about [Accessed 9 March 2021].