Alan Cumming reveals he 'returned' his OBE in birthday message to himself
Cumming said he gave back the award due to the "toxicity" of the British Empire.
Alan Cumming revealed in a birthday message to himself that he recently returned his OBE award.
"Today is my 58th birthday and I want to tell you about something I recently did for myself. I returned my OBE," the two-time Tony Award-winning actor shared Friday on Instagram.
Cumming said he was "grateful" to have received the distinction of Officer of the British Empire from Queen Elizabeth II in 2009.
"I am really shocked and delighted to receive this honour," he recalled saying when receiving the OBE, also adding that he said it "makes me very proud to be British, and galvanised as an American."
Cumming said the award was given to him not just for his job as an actor but for his activism for LGBTQ+ rights in the United States, referencing the "don't ask, don't tell" policy and the Defense of Marriage Act, both instituted during Bill Clinton's presidency, as being issues of the time.
Both of these have since been repealed by presidents Barack Obama in 2011 and Joe Biden in 2022, respectively.
Cumming noted that the queen's death in September "and the ensuing conversations about the role of monarchy and especially the way the British Empire profited at the expense (and death) of indigenous peoples across the world really opened my eyes."
He also said with the advancement of LGBTQ+ rights in the United States has made the "great good" the award stood for 14 years ago "now less potent than the misgivings I have being associated with the toxicity of empire."
"So I returned my award, explained my reasons and reiterated my great gratitude for being given it in the first place," the "Traitors" host concluded the post by saying. "I'm now back to being plain old Alan Cumming again. Happy birthday to me!"
ABC News has reached out to Buckingham Palace for comment.
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