(Photo: Getty Images)

In a lengthy Instagram post, Alan Cumming has revealed his reasons for returning the OBE honor he received from Queen Elizabeth II in 2009.

The Scottish actor was appointed an OBE – Officer of the British Empire – for services to film, theater, and the arts and to activism for equal rights for the gay and lesbian community in the United States. At the time, he said he was "especially happy to be honored for my activism as much as for my work."

However, in a post to mark his 58th birthday, Cumming wrote that "the Queen’s death 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 noted that the battle for LGBTQ+ equality in the US has progressed since he received his honor with the introduction of equal marriage and the repeal of Don't Ask, Don't Tell, which prohibited openly gay people from serving in the military.

"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," he added. "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 isn't the only prominent actor to have returned an honor in recent years. In 2020, Michael Sheen revealed that he handed back his own OBE after exploring Welsh history for a lecture. "I didn't mean any disrespect," the Welsh actor said at the time, "but I just realized I'd be a hypocrite if I said the things I was going to say in the lecture about the nature of the relationship between Wales and the British state."

For even more Alan Cumming, check out our recent feature on 10 things you may not know about the Scottish actor.

Are you surprised by Alan Cumming's decision to give back his honor?