If you’re active on Tik Tok and YouTube, then you’ve likely come across the vegan vlogger known as “That Vegan Teacher.” Although she’s since been banned from TikTok, she’s still active on YouTube, where she has over 170,000 followers and just over 1,400 videos.
Although most people know her by her online persona, That Vegan Teacher, her real name is Kadie Diekmeyer. She’s a native Canadian and is currently 57 years old.
Online, she’s a free-spirited hippie and a major advocate for going vegan. Some of her videos are educational, while others are random rants, self-composed songs, dances, and Q&A sessions with her followers.
While she has a lot of great content, That Vegan Teacher has also made some rather controversial statements that have backfired on her and hurt her ratings.
In today’s post, I’ll give you a bit more background about That Vegan Teacher, the controversy around her, and how her career got started. Let’s dive in!
What Happened To “That Vegan Teacher”?
That Vegan Teacher went viral on Tik Tok for her friendly, lighthearted vegan content. Recently, though, she was permanently banned from the platform for homophobic, racist statements.
Looking through some of her more controversial content, it’s easy to see why she got banned. While some of her content is friendly, she’s also been known for making anger-driven, accusatory statements.
She’s even been accused of being racist and homophobic, despite her claims to the contrary.
That being said, That Vegan Teacher is still around and has an active YouTube channel. You just won’t be able to find her on TikTok anymore.
Here’s her most recent video, where she’s singing a song about foods that “broke vegans” eat while playing the ukulele:
It’s definitely a bit random. But hey, she’s getting views, doing what she loves, and spreading the vegan message, so I’m not a hater.
Is “That Vegan Teacher” Still A Teacher?
When she first started making content online, Kadie Diekmeyer was still a full-time teacher in the Canadian public school system. She taught ESL (English as a Second Language) to French-Canadian students who grew up learning Quebecois French as their primary language.
During her teaching years, she was known as “Miss Karen.” This was also the start of her YouTube career, where she started making videos for her students.
After going viral on TikTok in 2020, her YouTube channel, “That Vegan Teacher,” blew up and she quit her teaching job to become a full-time content creator.
“That Vegan Teacher” Controversial Statements
That Vegan Teacher is what many people refer to as an “aggressive vegan.” Similar to vlogger Earthling Ed (author of the famous Vegan Propaganda book), she takes an aggressive, accusatory stance towards non-vegans.
She’s often called out famous celebrities and fellow vloggers for not being vegan and has some pretty harsh things to say about them. Needless to say, she definitely has some high-profile haters.
Additionally, she also made a number of controversial statements that caused many of her own followers to doubt her. Some of the most controversial statements and videos she’s made include:
- She said that coming out as LGBTQ+ was selfish, and that people should be more concerned about coming out as vegan (two very unrelated topics).
- She revoked her organ donor status as she didn’t want any meat eaters to get her organs if she died.
- She compared the meat industry to the Holocaust. This is very insensitive considering her vocal criticism of the Jewish religion (and Abrahamic religions, in general).
- She made a video titled “Are You Racist?” where she spelled out racial slurs and went on to say that people should be more concerned about animal cruelty than racial slurs.
- She sexualized teenage vlogger, TommyInnit, saying that the “nice vegan girls want to see his fruits and vegetables” while suggestively stroking a cucumber. TommyInnit was sixteen at the time and a minor.
- She converted an “I can’t breathe” sign (protesting police brutality towards minorities) into an anti-animal-cruelty sign.
That Vegan Teacher Daughter
That Vegan Teacher has a daughter named Karen Jr. who’s also an ardent vegan activist. She’s received widespread criticism for being even more insensitive and outspoken than her mother.
That Vegan Teacher Eating Meat?
There are some tabloid-style videos claiming That Vegan Teacher ate meat, and therefore “isn’t a real vegan.” It’s unclear whether these videos are just pure tabloid media or whether they’re actually based on truth.
Conclusion – Is “That Vegan Teacher” Canceled?
Due to her controversial statements regarding the LGBTQ+ community, racial insensitivity, and sexualization of a minor, many of her own followers have turned their back on That Vegan Teacher.
That being said, she still has a relatively strong following and still makes videos every day. I’ll let you guys decide for yourself whether or not you want to “cancel” her.
If you’re looking for a true vegan activist who takes matters into her own hands and isn’t wrapped up in controversial statements, I suggest looking into Mythical Mia!
