Marine Veteran Adam Driver Was Eating Whole Chickens Daily Long Before the Rotisserie Chicken Guy From Philadelphia

Alexander Tominsky, who Pennsylvanians might recognize as “The Philadelphia Chicken Man,” went viral for eating a whole chicken a day for 40 days straight. However, actor, Marine veteran, and Arts in the Armed Forces founder Adam Driver consumed entire rotisserie chickens daily more than 15 years prior. Find out why Driver started consuming whole chickens daily, plus another actor who consumed multiple chickens in one sitting.

Philadelphia rallied around the ‘Chicken Man’ after two championship losses 

On Saturday, Nov. 5, 2022, Philadelphia watched two of their sports teams lose in championship games. The Houston Astros bested the Philadelphia Phillies in the final game of the World Series. Meanwhile, the Philadelphia Union lost in overtime to the Los Angeles FC in the Major League Soccer (MLS) Cup. 

Despite the double loss, the city still had something to root for — “The Philadelphia Chicken Man.” On Sunday, Nov. 6, Tominsky consumed his 40th whole chicken in a self-imposed challenge. As the Philadelphia local told the New York Times, “I just felt like I was doing this for a very important reason.”

So, for 40 days, the 31 year old consumed an entire rotisserie chicken, which became his only meal for the day over the course of the challenge. All seemed well at first, but after a few weeks, Tominsky began feeling bloated, saying he could “feel the pulse of [his] heart in [his] stomach.” Still, he prevailed, consuming the 40th and final whole chicken on Nov. 6 with the city of Philadelphia behind him. 

Veteran Adam Driver was eating a whole chicken a day while attending Juilliard

After being discharged from the Marine Corps in 2004, Driver applied for Juilliard. He moved from Mishawaka, Indiana to New York City upon his acceptance. Ever a Marine, Driver created a militaristic routine for himself while attending the prestigious performing arts school.  

“I wanted to make it extreme,” he told GQ in 2014. His daily diet consisted of six eggs and an entire chicken. “He would walk around school with an entire chicken in one hand and a jug of water in the other,” actor Scott Aiello (Person of Interest, The Good Fight) said on The Film Reroll podcast in 2018. 

Driver would also run from Queens to Manhattan and spend his evenings watching classic movies or reading plays. “I felt like I was behind,” he said at the time, citing his childhood somewhat sheltered from secular art. 

Driver’s routine worked. He graduated from Juilliard in 2009 and went on to appear in plays both on and off Broadway. Later, his role as Adam Sackler in HBO’s Girls propelled Driver into the mainstream, where he secured roles in major movies like Star Wars: The Force Awakens, Marriage Story, and House of Gucci. 

‘Game of Thrones’ actor Hafþór Júlíusson consumed multiple chickens in one sitting

We’re not sure what it is about celebrities (local or otherwise) and poultry, but “The Philadelphia Chicken Man” and the White Noise star aren’t the only celebrities to consume whole chickens. In an interview on The Daily Show, Peter Dinklage spoke of his Game of Thrones co-star Hafþór Júlíusson, who ate multiple chickens in one sitting.

“I got to eat dinner with him one night in Croatia and he ordered seven chickens,” Dinklage said of the strongman. “He ate seven chickens — whole chickens.” 

It’s unclear when Driver last ate an entire chicken. As for Tominsky, he has moved on to other foods for now.