Jeffree Star has built a career on shock value—fluorescent palettes, feuds waged at 280 characters, a $200 million cosmetics empire run from a bubble-gum pink mansion. But even longtime fans did a double-take when the beauty mogul swapped Beverly Hills for rural Wyoming and bought 500 acres outside Casper to raise yaks for meat. One minute his Instagram grid was diamond-studded lipstick tubes; the next it was fuzzy bovine calves and Star in camouflage overalls, proudly announcing “Star Yak Ranch.”
Why yaks? Star says the animals’ lean, high-protein meat and lush winter coats fascinated him during early-pandemic retreats to the Rockies. Within months he’d filed ranch LLC paperwork, hired local herdsmen, and begun breeding 120 head—marketed as hormone-free, pasture-raised, and “Tunnel Vision Blue” (a nod to his best-selling lipstick shade). The first freezer packs hit a pop-up store in 2023: rib-eye, ground yak, and the now-infamous “Yak Jerky” stamped with a holographic logo.
The pivot triggered whiplash across beauty Twitter. Supporters applauded the vegan-turned-carnivore entrepreneur for diversifying revenue and boosting Wyoming’s economy. Critics called it hypocrisy—how could a cruelty-free makeup line coexist with a slaughter business? Vegan influencers launched #YakAttack boycotts; ranching periodicals welcomed him as a headline-grabbing ally in a market dominated by beef. Star poured gasoline on the discourse by posting glossy chore vlogs—morning feed rounds in Gucci snow boots, evening live streams of birthings under pink barn lights—each clip racking up millions of views.
Behind the theatrics sits a serious business plan: Star’s LLC sells breeding stock to small farms, contracts with local processors, and ships frozen cuts nationwide in iridescent coolers that look suspiciously like PR mailers. Industry analysts note his existing logistics for cosmetics—cold-chain, international customs—translate neatly to premium meat.
Will the gamble pay off? Early numbers suggest yes: first-year yak revenue reportedly topped $4 million, and tourism boards credit “yak-spotting” with a spike in out-of-state visitors. Whether you see it as authentic frontier reinvention or a provocative cash grab, Jeffree Star has once again proved one thing: he knows how to keep the internet chewing.
