Alan Cumming Hands Back His OBE As He Calls Out 'Toxicity' Of British Empire

Alan Cumming seems to have had enough of the British empire's "toxicity" as he has returned his Excellent Order of the British Empire (OBE) award. The Scottish actor received the honorary award from the late Queen at the 2009 investiture ceremony.

Cumming earned it for his activism for the LGBTQ+ community and his dedication to the arts through film and theater. The "Spy Kids" star, who recently turned 58, took to Instagram on his birthday to announce that he returned the OBE.

The actor also wrote a statement explaining why he had to hand back the highly regarded British honor.

Keep reading to know more.

Cumming announced his 58th birthday to his almost 500k Instagram followers with two photos of himself. He then shared that he was no longer an Officer of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire in the caption. 

The actor revealed that he gave back the OBE due to the conversations that arose after Queen Elizabeth II's death about the British Empire and the monarchy.

The "My Old School" star noted that the Queen's death and recent talks about the royal family "opened his eyes." He realized that the British Empire took many resources from "indigenous people across the world." He was also upset that the empire's actions caused the "death" of many people.

While the award helped his fight for LGBTQ rights, he no longer wants to be linked with the empire's "toxicity." Cumming wrote, "The great good the award brought to the LGBTQ+ cause back in 2009 is now less potent than the misgivings I have, being associated with the toxicity of Empire." Amid his reservations, he shared that he is grateful for the honor.

Although Cumming feels differently about the British Empire and Royal family, he thanked them for initially giving him the award.

He said, "So I returned my award, explained my reasons, and reiterated my great gratitude for being given it in the first place." The "Good Fight" actor also added that he is "now back to being plain old Alan Cumming again."

Cumming received the honorary title over a decade ago from the Royal family at an investiture ceremony in Buckingham Palace. After receiving the award, the actor told his Instagram followers how "shocked" and "delighted" he was.

According to People magazine, Cumming wrote at the time, "I am really shocked and delighted to receive this honor. I am especially happy to be honored for my activism as much as for my work." The star also noted that the "fight for equality for the LGBT community in the US" would be much easier with the award.

He said, "I see this honor as an encouragement to go on fighting for what I believe is right and for what I take for granted as a UK citizen." The "Smurfs" star thanked the Queen for her contribution to the cause. 

While he has now given back the award, he isn't the first person to return the Royal Family's gift.

Renowned author C.S Lewis declined a Commander of the British Empire (CBE) award in 1952, while English musician David Bowie followed suit later in 2000. Bowie also declined a knighthood in 2003, while Director Danny Boyle turned down the same award a decade after.

Legendary singer and member of The Beatles, John Lennon, gave back his honorary MBE title four years after all four members of the band earned the award. At the time, the singer explained why in an official letter. He wrote, per People,: "I am returning my MBE as a protest against Britain's involvement in the Nigeria-Biafra thing, against our support of America in Vietnam, and against Cold Turkey slipping down the charts."

Michael Sheen, a Welsh actor, followed in Lennon's footsteps in 2017. He gave back his OBE after reading about the English and Welsh historical relationships. In 2020, he told The Guardian that he had to decide between holding on to the OBE and giving it back. However, Sheen later returned the award to the Royal family.