Alan Cumming Returns Royal Honor From Queen Elizabeth out of Protest

Alan Cumming marked his 58th birthday last week by sharing a personal decision he recently made. He returned his Most Excellent Order of the British Empire honor, received from the late Queen Elizabeth II in 2009. The Tony winner said he has “misgivings… associated with the toxicity” of the British Empire.

When he received the honor, Cumming was “incredibly grateful” to accept it and be included on the Queen’s 2009 birthday honors list, especially since he was not just being honored for his career, but also for “activism for equal rights for the gay and lesbian community” in the U.S. At the time, same-sex marriage was still illegal in the U.S., and other controversial policies like Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell were still on the books.

However, since many of these laws have changed, Cumming believes that the “great good” his OBE brought to the cause in 2009 is “less potent than the misgivings I have being associated with the toxicity of empire (OBE stands for Officer of the British Empire),” he wrote on Instagram. “So I returned my award, explained my reasons, and reiterated my great gratitude for being given it in the first place. I’m now back to being plain old Alan Cumming again.” Cumming noted that he came to this decision following the Queen’s death last year 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.”

After returning his honor, Cumming told PEOPLE the response has been “incredible” and unexpected. “It’s been really positive,” he said at Saturday’s AARP 21st Annual Movies for Grownups Awards. “People really understood why it’s complicated, it’s complex, it’s not a black or white thing.”

“I tried to say that in my statement, and people have really responded to that,” Cumming continued. “I think times are changing and things change, and you change how you feel about something.”

Cumming is not the first U.K. celebrity to make headlines for rejecting or returning an OBE. Last Week Tonight host John Olver told Seth Meyers in September he refused the honor. “It’s a loaded… OBE… The ‘B.E.’ part is a hell of a thing to want after your surname,” Oliver said. He said that many other people probably reject the honor but don’t publicize their decision.

Cumming is a Tony winner for his performance in the 1998 Cabaret revival and for co-producing the 2022 musical A Strange Loop. He also has Emmy nominations for his work on The Good Wife. He hosted Peacock’s new competition series The Traitors, which pits reality stars against each other. Last year, he reprised his Good Wife character Eli Gold on The Good Fight.