Joaquin Phoenix named PETA Person of the Year for 2019

Joker loves animals, pass it on.

We're still no closer to official confirmation of a Joker sequel - those initial reports were quickly debunked, in case you missed it - but here's one thing we do know: Joaquin Phoenix loves animals so much they've only gone and given him an award for it. Yep, the actor has just been named PETA's - People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals - Person of the Year for 2019, following in the footsteps of the likes of Oprah Winfrey, Alicia Silverstone and Pope Francis before him. According to the Hollywood Reporter, Phoenix - who has been a vegan since he was three years old - has been honoured for his continued commitment to supporting animal rights causes through donations, public demonstrations and even executive producing The Animal People, a documentary focusing on animal rights activists. "Joaquin Phoenix never misses an opportunity to turn the spotlight away from himself and onto animals' plight and to set a great example of walking the vegan walk," said PETA president Ingrid Newkirk on Monday. A sound man. Will he add Oscar gold to this accolade in February? We'll say... maybe.