Paul O’Grady Posthumously Honoured as PETA’s ‘Person of the Year’
PETA has named the late actor, television host, and former drag queen its 2023 Person of the Year for his admirable acts for animals. Paul O’Grady championed the true underdogs at animal shelters, backed the #FurFreeBritain campaign, and was an animal advocate in countless other ways.
Paul O’Grady’s Advocacy for Animals
O’Grady’s passion for animal rights spanned decades, from joining PETA to expose the horrors of animal testing in the 1990s to urging the Lord Mayor of London to stop herding sheep across London Bridge in 2014. He called for a ban on foie gras earlier this year and helped convince travel giant Thomas Cook to stop selling tickets to marine parks that abuse orcas.
O’Grady had a particular soft spot for homeless animals and used his celebrity platform to bring their plight to the public eye through his documentary series Paul O’Grady: For the Love of Dogs, which aired from 2012 to 2023 and showcased the animals at Battersea Dogs & Cats Home. In 2020, he adopted a Jack Russell mix puppy from the Battersea shelter with his husband, Andre Portasio, whom they named Nancy. Later that year, O’Grady publicly slammed the BBC’s documentary Britain’s Puppy Boom: Counting the Cost – originally titled Will My Puppies Make Me Rich? – for encouraging puppy farming.
O’Grady once said, “It is our duty to treat animals with respect,” and he lived by his own principles every day by being a tireless animal advocate.
Feeling Inspired? Join the Animal Rights Movement
Honour Paul O’Grady’s memory by speaking up whenever you see an animal in need. Take inspiration from his work and become an animal advocate:
